I Could Never Love You
by ThatsDebatable
Summary: They may have looked similar, but the difference between Yamcha's body and Vegeta's was almost depressing. How had the desert bandit actually satisfied her for her entire life when the living Adnois lying beside her was somewhere out there? Chapter 11 UP!
1. Enchiladas, anyone?

Okay. I decided, after MUCH deliberation... to write a B/V story. What have I got to lose? If no one likes it, I'll delete it. If everyone loves it, I'll finish it. So, for the time being, I'm thinking of making it just in the 'unknown' 3 years before the Androids appear. If it's successful, maybe I'll continue it. Who knows? A few things YOU GUYS should know:

-I am **NOT** anti-Yamcha in any way, shape, or form. I think it's kind of amusing to poke fun at him, but if you're looking for a Yamcha-bashing fic, you've come to the wrong place.

-Future Trunks said Vegeta and Bulma came together and conceived Trunks out of** passion and loneliness**. Since I'm writing an IN CHARACTER fic, that's how it will be. Obviously they **WILL fall in love**- but please don't flame because it doesn't happen right away! Love grows (and what kinda story doesn't have love in it, anyway? I'd be stupid if I didn't end up putting it in, but I want it to be believable!)

-Though '**Bonding**' was never actually mentioned in the series, I believe it is legit. Remember when Videl could 'feel' that Gohan was still alive somewhere, when no one else believed he was? Or when Bulma 'knew' Vegeta had died? I'll somewhat include it in this story, but it won't play a major role.

Okay, that's it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. If it was, I would have been drawing up THIS story instead of GT. (Whoops! How did THAT slip out...? HAH!.)

* * *

"Servant Woman!"

Yes. In her mind, Bulma imagined that phrase capitalized, because apparently it was her new name. According to an insufferable 'prince', anyway. She turned to face the person- though the term 'person' was used loosely, seeing as how he was actually a space alien- and sighed. "What is it now, Vegeta?"

"What have you just placed in front of me?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "They're pancakes, your _highness_, and don't even think about insulting me, because they're a pre-made box mix that all I did was add water to."

"It tastes like strange bread."

"Well, _jeez_! Add some butter or maple syrup, I don't know! You may or may not have realized that I already have too much on my To-Do list, and you constantly destroying the Gravity Room and eating my entire kitchen on a regular basis isn't exactly helping things along." He glared at her as he picked at his breakfast, unimpressed by her outburst. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going out. Your breakfast is done, the GR is up and running for the time being, and your training gear is clean and in your room. I'll be back by lunch."

"Why you willingly spend time with that buffoon of yours continues to astound me. You do realize that he is a pathetic, even for a human? And that's saying something."

Coming from him? Didn't she know it. "You know what Vegeta? At least I spend time with _people_. I know, I know. It's CRAZY that I have more fun hanging out my friends- including Yamcha- than beating up robots, but I honestly couldn't give a crap about your opinion. So leave me alone and eat your now-cold pancakes." It had been a serious mistake, inviting him to live with her. All he did was bitch and moan about how the Gravity Room wasn't strong enough, and when she finally upgraded it, it would just collapse on top of him and he would yell that it was badly made (when really, he just couldn't handle 300X gravity at the moment.)

"Hmph."

Well, _that_ was sure a foreign noise coming from him. She gave him a good stare down before grabbing her bag and sunglasses and heading for the front door; she still locked it, because even with a Saiyan room mate inside, he would probably think a burglar wasn't _worthy_ enough to be beaten up by royalty like him.

"Bulma!" She heard a familiar voice call from a convertible in her driveway. "I was just about to come inside! Come on, we're heading over to Goku's!" Good old Yamcha. She was always able to fall back on him.

But that was just the thing... she _knew _she could always come back to him. He wasn't new, or exciting, or someone she looked forward to being with forever. He was her on-again, off-again boyfriend that she would never be passionate about or fall head-over-heels in love with. He was an amazing person with a big heart and a cute smile that she'd spent many years with (and lost her virginity to- but that wasn't the point), but lately she was realizing that it was time to stop acting like a teenaged girl and time to start planning her life and acting like an adult. For Kami's sake, _Goku_ was already happily married to his childhood sweetheart and had a son that was practically a teenager already! Little Goku, who had always been like her kid brother, was farther ahead than her. Bulma wanted a husband that would tell her he loved her and her own little blue-haired babies that ran around the house.

Yamcha wouldn't give her that. Hell, Yamcha was more immature than _any_ of the Z fighters (though not as naive, thank god) combined. He wasn't ready to get married and settle down- he was still checking out 20 year old girls when they hung out, somewhat harmlessly flirting with women at clubs. She knew Yamcha would never actually _cheat_ on her if they were together at that point in time, but she also knew he was a little fickle. He was no more in love with her than she was with him.

But she had to admit, was a great friend and was always able to make her laugh, so she jumped in the car and sang along to bad pop songs on their way to Goku and Chi Chi's place for breakfast.

..Z..

"So... how are things with you and Prince 'Charming'?" Chi Chi asked sarcastically, winking and nudging her in the side.

"Ugh. Vegeta's a pain in the _ass_. He yells at me, I yell back, he demands things, I call him an ungrateful bastard, he trains, I fume silently. The usual."

Chi Chi laughed. "The usual. If you ever need a place to stay, I hope you know the guest bedroom is always open. Think of it as your Anti-Vegeta sanctuary... that is, when he's not here fighting with my husband. Then we can go to your house for a ladies' night, and maybe I could teach you how to cook for a Saiyan!"

"Hah. Yeah, maybe he won't yell at me quite so much if I make something that doesn't taste like rocks." She scrubbed hard at a plate that had probably been clean for five minutes now.

"Well... I would say you don't have to put up with the annoying, beastly, obnoxious murderer for much longer, but I've always thought that 3 years seems like a long GOKU GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF THAT POT ROAST! That is your DINNER!"

"Sorry, Chi," she heard an innocent voice say sheepishly. "It just smells so good-"

"Well, between you, Gohan, Yamcha, and Krillin, I think you've eaten enough to feed all of West City for a year just for breakfast. Now, go help Gohan with his Studies for half an hour, then you have to fly him over to the dentist. I've already made the appointment and paid, so you just have to sit in the waiting room for a while. I've put some clothes out for you to wear, which is hanging in our closet. Gohan's is laying on his bed. Please remind him not to mess it up, because I just ironed it this morning. Lunch will be ready when you get back, so please don't buy Gohan any sugar afterward. Now, shoo! I'm talking to Bulma!"

Bulma blinked at her name. She had been so absorbed... it was eleven in the morning, and Chi Chi had already made up and ironed outfits for her husband and son, cooked breakfast, and set up an appointment for Gohan. She was planning on having lunch ready in an hour. Was being a wife and mother this time consuming? Goku had walked away looking disappointed, which just made her want to shake her long-time friend by his neck. _Do you know how much this woman is doing for you? And not only don't you thank her, you actually are upset that you have to do one small thing today. You are almost as ungrateful as Vegeta!  
_

Of course, she didn't say any of that. She just watched as Goku ruffled his son's hair and walked upstairs with him to do his homework. Chi Chi put away the last plate and stirred whatever what in the slow-cooker; pot roast, apparently.

Then, she followed her best friend around as she swept, vacuumed, and hollered for Goku to get moving for Gohan's dentist appointment. Then she walked upstairs to pick up her boys' discarded training gi's and throw their sheets in the wash. _Then_ she started making lunch. Of course, they chatted throughout all this. Bulma wasn't just staring at Chi Chi for 40 minutes. But she noticed all of the things she did to keep her household in order while they were discussing the goings-on in their lives.

With a sigh, Bulma looked a the clock. 11:40. Time to get home and make lunch for her houseguest.

"I'd better head out," she mumbled, definitely not looking forward to what was waiting for her at home. "Yamcha! Time to go!"

Yamcha said his good-byes to Krillin, picked up his set of keys, and took Bulma's hand. With a final wave to her friends, they headed out to the car in the driveway and started the ride back to Capsule Corporation.

"Yamcha? Can we talk?" Bulma asked suddenly, after fifteen minutes of comfortable silence.

"Uh, sure. What's up?"

Bulma looked at the familiar scarred face, his dark eyes, the hair he'd finally cut. She took a deep breath. "I don't think... that... that..." She started over. "I don't know if we're technically together right now or not, but all of this breaking up and playing around... it's getting tiring."

Yamcha looked away from the road for a moment to smile sadly at her. "Haven't we been through this before?"

"Y-yeah, but..." she closed her eyes. "I want it over for real. Not like every other time I've said that and I've been throwing vases against walls and screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm going to be calm and adult about this." Her eyes opened, and when she spoke again, the words rang with finality. "It's time for us to go our separate ways."

He nodded slowly. "You really don't want to be with me anymore?" He whispered.

She looked down at their still entwined hands, and gently disentangled herself. "Not in that way. You're still one of my very closest friends, but I think we want different things now."

He pulled up to C.C. "So is this good bye, then?"

She laughed. "Of course not! Didn't I say that you were one of my best friends? We're still going to hang out and have fun."

"So, just like we've always acted together without the sex?"

She punched him in the arm. "Shut up. This is exactly why I'm breaking up with you!"

He laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "I know. I'm kidding. Relax. Now, go tend to his majesty before he blasts us out of the driveway; he knows we're here, and he's waiting for his food."

"Oh, the joys of being a maid."

"It's only for a week. Your parents are coming home next Sunday, and then Bunny will start hitting on him and making giant meals like she has been for the past four months."

She let out her breath. "Yeah, I know. Well, I'd better get in. See you around."

The house was quiet, the only noise the whirring of the GR outside. As soon as she opened the back door, the humming ceased, and Vegeta came walking out in all his sweaty glory. "Woman!" he barked. "What time is lunch to you humans? I was under the misinterpretation that it was twelve o'clock. It's at least ten minutes after that."

"Ooooh, ten minutes. That just won't do, will it? We wouldn't want the prince of all- how many are there, three? Saiyans to starve, would we? Goku and Gohan just wouldn't _survive_ with you being so incredibly _famished_-"

"That will be quite enough, woman," Vegeta quipped.

"Don't you tell me when it's enough. I make your food and pay for everything you have here; I can say what I want."

"Well, I'd hardly call what you give me to eat _food._"

"Oh, really? That's a load off my shoulders. If you dislike my cooking so much, you can just make your own!"

"I could do that. _Or_ I could just blast you into the next dimension. Take your pick," he sneered.

"You are the most annoying, pigheaded, arrogant, proud, _asshole_ I've ever met in my life!" She shrieked.

"Why, thank you. Now get started on my meal."

"You little-" she muttered as she threw a frying pan in his general direction.

"Don't start fights you cannot win, human. Now," he gestured to a pile of ashes on the floor that used to be the frying pan, "you're going to have to find a new cooking device to make me food."

"Fine! I'll feed you if you shut the hell up and get out of the kitchen. How does that sound?"

"Forcing me _not_ to be around you? That's hitting two birds with one stone. Lunch, and a few minutes of peace. Maybe this planet isn't quite so bad." And with that remark, he left to go get a half hour of extra training in.

"I'm going to make it bad, just you wait," she murmured as she grabbed a giant bag of hot peppers and six cans of beans. "You're eating mexican today. Can you do all your stupid training on the toilet?"

..Z..

"Oh, Veggie! Lunch time! We're eating enchiladas today," she called out the back window. Before she could blink, he was holding a plate and scooping steaming tortillas onto it.

"It's burning my tongue!" He yelled as he stuffed three into his mouth at once. "What is this garbage?"

"Oh, that's just the temperature that's doing that, silly! They just came out of the oven!" She turned around and grinned evilly to help herself to two not so spicy wraps that didn't have sixty million pounds of hot pepper and half as many beans. They were silent, the only sounds coming from Vegeta scarfing his lunch down.

"Woman, I've been eating for ten minutes and my tongue still feels as though it is engulfed in flames. What did you put in this?"

"Oh, the regular stuff. Red pepper, banana pepper, jalapeno, beans, beans, and more beans."

"Beans? I refuse to eat anything with such a ridiculous name!"

"Well, it's a little late for that. Finish up and go train. Your muscles are looking a little wimpy." She frowned at him.

"What? Don't ever suggest something so ridiculous again, or you will pay!"

"Oh, well that's fine. I have millions of Zenny, I should be able to cover it."

"You earthlings and your pathetic currency! A few pieces of paper or a square piece of plastic is worth practically anything."

"We got over the barter system a couple hundred years ago for a reason, Vegeta. Now hurry. It's almost one o'clock, and you still want to tone up those arms, don't you? Get a move on!"

He huffed. "You distracted me earlier with your incessant chatter, woman, but I was serious about what I said. Watch what you say."

Bulma pulled a serious face and saluted the man in front of her. "I'll be on my guard, sir."

Vegeta yelled out something unintelligible; neither of them really knew what it was, other than an exasperated outburst. He huffed. "I don't know why I shouldn't just blast you now! Your father can fix the GR and your stupid mother can feed me, so I hope you realize that when they come back, I won't be so lenient with what I let you do."

"What you_ let_ me do? Oh, wow. Get outside, Vegeta." She turned on her heel to dump their dishes into the sink and stick a couple chickens in the oven for the prince's afternoon snack.

All she heard was a door slam and then the Gravity Room start up, so she knew that he was out of her hair for a few hours. She decided to take a bath.

Going into the laundry room, she pulled out a giant fluffy towel and her robe, along with a hair elastic she found on top of the dryer. Dumping her clothes into the washing machine and starting a load, she slipped into her housecoat and jogged upstairs to her bathroom.

Filling the tub up with pink, soapy bubbles and lighting a few candles, Bulma tied her hair up on top of her head, letting a few strands inevitably fall around her shoulders. Since getting her perm undone- or rather, chemically straightening it OVER the perm (hair is a funny thing)- the haircut she'd had before that looked good curly didn't look so good straight, and Jean-Claude, the only hairdresser on earth she trusted- was on holidays for a year, only coming back next month. Hence the terrible perm she'd had; NEVER go to another hairdresser other than the one you know.

BEEP... BEEP... BEEP-

"What the hell?" Bulma muttered to herself after lying in there for Dende knows how long. "It sounds like the oven... OH!" The chicken! Afternoon snack! Right!

Pulling on her robe, she dashed downstairs to grab the chicken-

-and bumped right into a perfectly sculpted, bare, sweaty chest.

Gulp.

"Um... I was just... chicken... oven... timer... snack..." Bulma found it hard to form a coherent sentence while she was so close to the intimidating, albeit unnaturally good looking, man.

He grunted, and as she backed away, she saw him look up and down her body a second too long before going around and up the stairs- to his room, presumably, though she didn't know why. Not that she was going to ask- Vegeta and her didn't have many conversations, and she didn't care much, anyway.

It wasn't until she saw herself in the reflection of the chrome on the fridge did she understand why Vegeta gave her (or her body, but whatever) an actual nanosecond of his undivided attention. Her short red silk robe was barely tied around her hips, showing so much cleavage one of her... er, nipples was almost showing and a sleeve was falling off one shoulder altogether. Since she hadn't dried her body off before throwing it on, the material clung to every curve. Though the damage was already done, she still pulled the robe tighter around herself and fastened the belt more securely.

She bent over to get the chicken out (after turning off the crazy annoying beeping, of course) and heard a very, very, slight gasp from behind her. In fact, it was so quiet she wasn't even sure she heard anything, but she turned anyway. Only to see that stupid spiky haired man brush past her to get back outside. He now had a shirt on- probably the reason for going to his room in the first place.

Well, damn! She couldn't adjust the _length_ of her robe. It's not like it was so short her butt was sticking out, or anything... well, it _kind_ of was. It was a gift from Yamcha; what was she supposed to do, throw away a beautiful silk robe because her ex wasn't going to see it on her anymore? Hell no.

Whatever. He probably didn't even see her, and she was just blowing the whole thing out of proportion. She was just over-analyzing everything because she was feeling weird over her break up.

Thinking the chicken needed a little longer, she put it back in the oven and jogged back upstairs to hop into her bath to think more about the events of the day.

So, maybe she _was_ the one to end things with Yamcha. It didn't mean she was completely, 100 percent FINE with it. He was her safety blanket, and not having someone you know will always take you back was... strange? She closed one chapter of her life, and was starting another. What would happen? Her thoughts drifted to perfect, loving guys she could end up with. Maybe a blond! He would be tanned, and not threatened by her genius. He would always wear jeans, unlike most of the men she hung out with. He probably wouldn't be a fighter, because really, he would just embarrass himself if he introduced himself as a UFC dude or whatever. He would be smart, though, and a great dad. Maybe a stay-at-home dad that took care of all the kids while she went to work, and was kind to her and wouldn't make fun of her for getting a bad haircut, like Vegeta did, and-

Oh, Crap. _Vegeta_. What would Vegeta say if she brought a man home? Not that she cared what the stupid Saiyan thought of her, but would he scare off her boyfriend? Make him think she lived in a psycho ward with some buff guy who threatened to blast people into the next dimension on a regular basis? He would ruin _everything!_

And even though three years didn't seem too long for some women to start a family, it was long to _her._ She didn't want to wait until after the androids came and were defeated. Who knew how long that would take? Weeks, months, years? It's not like she could start a relationship while her friends were out in a fight to the death battle. She would have to wait until AFTER that, and by then...

No. She looked good for her age, sure, but she wasn't getting any younger.

One thing she was certain of. She would find a guy who was cute, sensitive, respectful, great with kids, and not afraid to show his feelings.

She wouldn't settle for anything less.

* * *

A/N. So, admit it. You're laughing, right? You're not a true DBZ fan if you don't think what Bulma just said was the stupidest thing ever. Poor her, huh? You know what would probably make her feel better? Reviews!

So the big question... do you think Vegeta was really gasping at Bulma's buns-o-steel, or did he simply let out a breath? You decide- it could change the whole story! (Because either way, next chapter, she's gonna confront him- and either our boy Veggie's going to be in serious denial, or Bulma will look like the biggest idiot of all time.)

Oh, and something else. When Bulma meets a potential guy, what characteristics do you want him to have? What conversations do you want Vegeta to have with him to make him feel awkward, scared, disturbed, or a combination of the three? It's your choice here, people!

Review, Review, Review!

P.S.- By the way, most of the next chapter will be Vegeta in the bathroom, talking to Bulma through the door. Just wanted to let you know in advance.


	2. Well, Damn!

There was a hold-up at my work (Le Gasp! Don't worry, no one was hurt), and to catch the guy, the manager had to look at the security tapes. I thought it was so weird that every move I make there is recorded, so that inspired this chapter. I dedicate this chapter to all security companies and video cameras out There. None of which, by the way, along with Dragonball Z, do I own. -Silent Tear-

Also, I owe this chapter to Apolonia86 and jeMS7. Apolonia's review made me laugh and want to start this right away, and jeMS7 gave me some ideas for later in the story, so it made me figure out how I'm gonna make this chapter go. I hope you guys are okay with me using some of your lines.

I reply personally to all reviews, so leave me one! I love getting to know you all. I try to use your ideas as much as possible, but there's a little twist in here I came up with because I didn't want this chapter to be _too_ expected. I just wanted Bulma to be just as flustered as Vegeta in this chapter, because it's too funny not to do it.

* * *

Bulma had toweled off and slipped into her clothes (she decided never to take a chance and wear that robe again, no matter how comfortable and beautiful it might be. It just wasn't worth it.), running downstairs to grab the chicken that had caused the whole dilemma. Yelling for Vegeta to come inside, she took one drumstick for herself and piled the other three on a serving platter for her guest.

They were about ten minutes into the meal before Vegeta paused, chicken breast halfway into his mouth.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Bulma asked innocently.

He grunted, and went back to eating for about thirty seconds before pausing again.

"Something bothering you?"

Without replying, Vegeta stood and went upstairs, trying to look casual. But as soon as he thought he was out of sight, she saw him blur so quickly she couldn't make out his form.

_The plan is going perfectly_, Bulma thought. _So even a so-called almighty Saiyan prince is susceptible to the power of beans._

Turning the stereo on full blast, she tried to give Vegeta as much privacy as possible, though the song 'Funky Town' can only be played so much until you either turn off the music or smash the system. Bulma decided to go with the former, seeing as how it was the top of the line CD player and would cost more than even Bulma would be willing to shell out for a new one. After half an hour, she came to the conclusion that it was long enough for him to be in there and went to check on him. Though she wanted him to suffer, she didn't want to _walk in_ on him suffering.

"Oh, Veggie! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Even though she knew exactly where he was- the upstairs bathroom, probably with all 3 turbo fans running.

Coming to the door, she rapped quickly on it a few times. "I know you're in there, and the rest of your food is getting cold! I don't want your highness to eat anything that is less than absolute perfection!"

"The way you throw my status around as if I were a child simply playing make believe astounds me. I was the prince of the strongest race in the universe, and I could destroy planets by simply pointing my finger-"

She cut him off by laughing, and tried her best to quiet herself before he attempted to blast down the door. But she couldn't stop from making a snippy remark. "Yadda yadda yadda. Prince of the Saiyans, strongest warrior in the entire galaxy, hottest living being in existence. I've heard it all before."

"Apparently not enough, because if you really understood, you would not play with fire like you do."

She smiled, again not trying to laugh, and replied. "Oh, I'm sorry. Let me correct myself. I am in awe of your every move, and if you ever want anything, your _majesty_, you just let me know."

"You bet I will. Now leave," he commanded, sounding uncomfortable.

Hah! Looks like round two was coming up. "Is there something going on in there?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I heard strange animal noises coming from downstairs..."

"That will be quite enough, woman! Remove yourself from my company!"

Bulma laughed and walked back downstairs, turning the music on loudly once again and started putting the food away in the fridge for leftovers later. After she heard a toilet flush, she walked back up.

"Vegeta? How come you've been in there for so long?"

"That's none of your business, woman. Leave me alone."

She sighed, putting her back against the door and sliding down until she was sitting on the plush carpet with her knees against her chest. Playing with a loose thread on her jeans, she spoke again.

"Look, 'Geta. I-"

"What did you just call me?"

"'Geta."

"What even is that?"

"Your nickname, obviously. Just like Veggie is your nickname."

"I don't have a nickname," he sneered. "Nicknames are for the weak."

"Tell it to your parents," Bulma said with a shrug, even though he couldn't see it. "They're the ones who gave you a name that makes the best nicknames."

"On planet Vegeta, we didn't _have_ 'nicknames'. As I said before, they're for weaklings who don't hold any power in this world, so they fool around like children."

"If that's what you consider a weakling, you're mistaken. Because believe me, I have LOTS of power and influence on Earth."

"You were born into it. You get what you want because of your father's doing."

"Are you kidding? Even without the money, I'd probably still get what I want."

"And why is that?"

Bulma hesitated. Was she going to go for it? She wasn't planning on it, originally. She thought Vegeta battling for his life in the bathroom was enough punishment for his extremely annoying, bossy, pushy, and arrogant attitude. But he was just pissing her off, now; claiming she got everything from being the daughter of Dr. Briefs? Hah! She was one of the smartest women on the planet!

"Oh. You haven't noticed? Good-looking people are treated better on earth."

She heard a snort through the door. "Like I said, it must be your father's doing."

"You don't think I'm attractive?"

"Not only do I not think you're attractive, I know for a _fact_ that you aren't."

Bulma bit her lip. "You didn't seem to think so earlier when I was getting the food out of the oven."

It was silent for a few moments until Vegeta burst out in hysteric laughter."Don't flatter yourself, woman! If I made a noise at all, it was one of certain revulsion."

Bulma's nostrils flared. "Well, if you thought that was so nauseous, then I'd like to know what's considered sexy on your planet!"

"Strength."

"Looks don't play a part at all?"

"When we look for a mate, we wanted whoever would make the best warrior offspring," Vegeta scoffed. "Not like it is here- you think giant implants women put in surgically would be easier to fight with? Or long flowing hair that would do nothing but get in the way?"

Bulma self-consciously touched her not-so-great hairdo, wishing her appointment with Jean-Claude would come faster, then snapped back to the present. "I wasn't talking about looking for a mate, Vegeta. I'm talking about what you find _attractive_."

She could practically see him rolling his eyes. "On my home planet, we never just had flings with people we found attractive. The men have their first mating cycle when they come of age, and at that time, they find a suitable Saiyan woman to be with forever. Sometimes, very rarely, they also bond with their pick. But attractiveness was something we barely noticed."

"You don't understand what I'm asking! I very highly doubt you find flat-chested butch girls hot. Don't try to convince me of that, because Goku married Chi Chi and even though she used to be a pretty decent fighter, she is anything _but_ ugly."

"Kakkarott is an idiot. I don't consider him to be part of my race."

"Why? Because he gives an unbiased look at what Saiyans can be if they're not raised being taught how to kill, or to look for a 'mate' that would make the best fighters, or by _Freiza_?"

Vegeta exhaled sharply. "Freiza has nothing to do with the Saiyan mating cycle. Or the fact that you're so conceited, you bent over practically naked earlier to try and get me to say you're good-looking."

Bulma's face flushed red. "I did _not_! I wasn't even thinking about you when I did that!"

Vegeta opened the door suddenly, and Bulma fell backwards as the thing she was leaning against moved away. Before she jumped up, she noticed that the room didn't smell of anything in particular; not even air freshener. All the fans were off and the window was closed. Then how...

"I'm not an idiot, woman," Vegeta sneered, and Bulma's face, which was already red, grew a deeper crimson. Oh, _crap..._

"Like you said, I lived with Freiza in space practically my whole life. We had to eat anything we could find on each planet, and sometimes even their best delicacies were disgusting. Eventually you gain an immunity to such things."

"I... I..." Bulma stuttered. There was nothing to say. "What are you talking about?"

" _'I'm going to _make_ it bad?'_ Ring a bell? You stupid woman, you practically shouted it in my ear. How was I not supposed to find out you were planning something?" Vegeta wanted to know.

"I did _not_ shout it in your ear!" Bulma argued.

"So you admit you said it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_No_!" She stormed downstairs, angry at nothing in particular. Mostly at herself for her plan going wrong, she supposed. And, of course, Vegeta for being... well, Vegeta. "Why did you even fake it, then?"

"Why do you think? To humiliate you, of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be training, or something?"

"I have been. While you were downstairs playing your annoying music, I was in the Gravity Room."

Obviously. "You are... you are..."

"I know. It's hard to find the right words to describe someone like myself. The words 'amazing' and 'honored' have often been used, but all the same, I never find it quite fits who I am."

"You wanna know why that is? Because they aren't the words annoying, loud, obnoxious, full of yourself, and pigheaded."

"That really hurts coming from someone who fits that description perfectly."

"I'm not any of those things!"

"You're the one who was _insisting_, loudly, that you're one of the sexiest people on this planet. I, on the other hand, am just trying to get by you to walk to the gravity chamber like you suggested."

"I didn't insist that!" Okay, a half lie. whatever. "But I _know_ you were looking when I got the food out of the oven."

"It's hard not to when there's something so humongous in front of me. It was practically taking up the whole room!"

"You know what? You can shove that smug little face right up your-"

"Bulma, honey, I'm hooooomeeeee!" She heard a sickly sweet voice call from downstairs

Bulma gulped. "M-Mom?"

...Z...

"Oh, darling, I missed you so much I just had to come home early! Your father is still at that business thing, but I didn't think you'd want to be home all alone. Doesn't your mother get a kiss and hug?"

Bulma tried to smile, but it probably looked more like she was sitting on a tack. Her face was still a little red from her confrontation with the Saiyan earlier, and adding Bunny Briefs (though she loved her mother dearly) to the mix wasn't going to help.

"So how's my little angel been? How's Yamcha?"

"Er, mom, well, we kind of broke up. For good."

"Oh, that's too bad, isn't it? He was a sweet boy, except..." she waved a hand through the air, as if tossing the subject aside. "Well, anyway. It wasn't meant to be! He wouldn't have made the cutest grandbabies, anyway..."

"Mother!"

"Sorry, dear. But I've always wanted little Bulma's running around this place. It gets so quiet! Of course, with Vegeta around, things have picked up..."

"Mom. Can we drop anything having to do with men or my future children?"

"Sure, sure. Oh, and your father wanted me to give you this..." Bunny handed a note to Bulma, which she opened.

_Bulma-_

_I've been trying to remember a certain formula I used for the capsule toaster/printer, but_

_I just can't seem to put my finger on it. Could you go over the home security tapes to figure _

_which wires I crossed, then give me a call? The invention is supposed to be shown on Thursday,_

_and it's too dangerous to give you the code to the security tapes over the phone. The_

_competing company, Capsules LTD., may have spies tracing the call and then we'd be_

_in a real doozy. Anyway, the password is 32-73-57-CAT. Thanks dear._

_-Dad_

"What is it, darling?" her mother inquired, 'patient' as always.

"Just a work thing. I'll be back in a jiff."

She ran down to the lab, punched in the password, and double-clicked on the icon that said 'Home Security'. Selecting the sub-heading 'KITCHEN #1', she rewound the tapes until-

Oh, Kami. Was her robe that revealing? She blushed looking at it, and it was _her _butt! But she had to admit, it _did_ look pretty good...

She saw Vegeta walk in, stop for a moment, then continue walking outside.

"Hold up," she murmured to herself. She zoomed in, flipping to a different camera angle, and looked at Vegeta's expression when he saw her. It was not one of 'certain revulsion'. In fact, it almost looked like... lust? She put it back five seconds, and watched it again. His eyes widened, moving up and down her body, and his nostrils flared the tiniest bit. She couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but it looked like he licked his lips a little. Of course, this all happened in a matter of about two seconds, so it was pretty fast.

"I believe there is a law against this kind of thing on earth," a voice from behind her stated. Bulma jumped a mile and a half in the air, adrenaline shooting through her veins.

"You're not allowed in here," Bulma told Vegeta after her heart calmed a little.

"I don't think so, woman. After your mother harassed me for a while, she told me to come in here to ask you to upgrade the training droids."

Damn! Her mother was such an airhead! Ah, well. She still had a little dirt on the Saiyan.

"Well I'd be happy to upgrade them for you, Veggie, but first, could you come here please?"

"Hmph."

"Now, my father wanted me to go over some security tapes, and while I was searching, I found something you may find interesting." She clicked on the first video she watched, where you couldn't quite tell what Vegeta's expression was.

"What are you trying to show me? I don't have time for-"

"Of course, I was curious as to what your face actually looked like during this scenario, so I did a quick flip in the camera angle-"

"I don't care! Would you just fix the robots so I can-"

The video played, and Vegeta was scowling as always when he was forced to do something other than train and eat.

And then he saw his reaction.

"I was... looking at the chicken, idiot! Why must you _always_ jump to conclusions? Will you not let this stupid thing go?" He barked.

"See, I thought the same thing at first. But then I remembered that the food was still raw, and if you could tell that it was ready, you would have nagged me to feed you until I put it on your plate. So that just couldn't be it."

"Well, that _was_ it, so calm down and fix the robots."

"Y'know, 'Geta, I think I'm pretty dang calm. I'm just pointing out the obvious here." She grinned widely and Vegeta rolled his eyes. "_You_ think I have a cute butt."

"You went," he grunted, "through ALL this, just because you're SO insecure about your body that you're trying to convince yourself that someone _actually_ likes-"

"Just stop," she said. "It's getting tiring, all this denial. I don't need everyone to think I'm good looking. I don't care, really. I'm just glad I have proof that _you_ do."

"I don't!"

"Right."

"The sight of you is sickening!"

"Sure thing, Veggie."

"You would not make a suitable mate for me!"

"I- wait, what?"

A faint pink hue spread across Vegeta's features. "Fix my training droids, woman!" he demanded. "And tell your stupid mother to have my dinner ready by six!"

* * *

Sorry for the short-ish chapter. I just wanted to leave it with Vegeta totally embarrassed. I understand if you think this chapter is a little whack, but I like it. So, next chapter preview:

Vegeta: Woman! This human is confusing me!

Officer Steve: Now sir, if you don't stop making such loud noises after ten at night, the penal system will-

Vegeta: And harassing me!

As always, review, review, review!


	3. Using Veggie to Get a Date

**Just so you guys know, I totally started this chapter right after I finished the last one. Oh yeah. I rule.

I don't have much to say, except that I don't own Starbucks. Or DBZ... even though I wish I did. Curse you, Toriyama! CURSE YOU!!!!!!!!

-coughs- Er, anyway. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

After phoning her father with the details of his invention and eating dinner (Vegeta would not so much as glance at her), Bulma upgraded the training droids, told Vegeta (who barely responded) and went to bed early.

Or rather, tried to.

She should have known it would be a mistake to make the robots stronger right before bed. Vegeta was yelling his spiky little head off until one in the morning, and there were more than a few loud explosions. When she heard sirens go by the house, she didn't give it a second thought, but when they suddenly stopped and the doorbell rang...

"Why me?" she asked. "Why do I always get stuck in these situations?" she shoved her feet into her slippers and started walking towards the front door before her mother did; some people may not realize it, but Bunny was a real grouch when she didn't get all of her beauty sleep. "All I want is one normal day. Is that so hard to ask? Just one day where I can sit on my ass and not do any work or cook or clean or be civil to the stupid prince. But noooo, not for Bulma, she has to put up with... it..."

She trailed off as she opened the front door and saw a male model was standing before her. Now she was_ really_ glad her mother was a heavy sleeper. "Miss Briefs? It's an honor to meet you!" He said, shaking her hand. "When I got a call about a domestic disturbance at Capsule Corporation, I figured you had a maid or something to answer your door and speak to guests. But to actually meet the-"

"Yes, yes, big honor. But I'd like to know more about _you_, officer..." she looked at his name tag, "Steve. That's a last name?"

"No, it's my first name, but my last name is Shmosiferr. You can imagine why someone in the force wouldn't want that as a last name. I tried it out for a while, but I couldn't discipline rowdy teenagers with the title 'Officer Shmosiferr.'."

Bulma laughed. "Well, Officer Steve, I know the cause of the noise. I have a house guest visiting from, uh... " Crap. What did Vegeta's accent sound like? "Um, an arrogant son-of-a-bitch part of West City, and he has a few anger problems. Since my father and I felt pity on him, we built a, erm, safe-proof room where he can let his anger out without hurting anyone. The, ah, best doctors in the country suggested it."

"Well, if the doctors allowed it, all I need are a few quick words with your guest."

A few quick words would pretty much be the worst mistake of the year. "That might not be such a good idea-"

"It will really only take a few minutes-"

"I could just explain the rules to him myself-"

"Miss Briefs, I am an Officer of the law and if you refuse-"

"Fine! I'll go get him!" Kami. What a dank! Why did a beautiful man like him have to be so stubborn? Whatever. If he wanted to speak to Mr. Kill-anything-that-gets-in-my-way, that was his prerogative. It was his face. Storming outside and opening the door to the GR (which automatically lowered the gravity down to normal), she faced Vegeta, trying not to remember their awkward home security camera moment and put her hands on her hips.

"You have a guest."

Vegeta snorted. "And who might that be? Your mother, again? No thanks."

"No. It's a police officer coming to tell you that you're disturbing the neighbours."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? You know what I believe would _really_ disturb these pathetic earthlings? A group of androids coming and destroying their planet."

"Vegeta, please. It is almost two in the morning, and I am way too tired to deal with you. Would it kill you to take 5 minutes out of your training to talk to the guy?" She yawned, demonstrating just how tired she really was.

"Fine, you stupid woman. I'll talk to him. But if he says anything out of line, I'm only going to call you once before I blast him." Without even bothering to put a shirt on, or towel off his sweat, he walked into the house and folded his arms. "What?" He demanded of the police officer.

"Sir. I would like to let you know that it is my job to enforce the laws here in West City. I understand your condition, but I cannot let you continue to interfere with your neighbour's sleep."

"My... what? Condition?"

"I will not judge you, but I was speaking to Miss Briefs and she explained everything to me. I understand how you might be angry at me right now, and that's okay. But you must control yourself."

"Woman! This human is confusing me!" Bulma rolled her eyes at Vegeta; she wasn't about to explain the alibi she created so she didn't have to tell Officer Steve the real truth.

The police man cleared his throat. "Now sir, if you don't stop making such loud noises after ten at night, the penal system will-"

"And harassing me!" Vegeta added, eyes widening at what he thought he heard.

"Vegeta, he said _penal_."

"I know that! I should kill him right now for suggesting I mate with him!"

Much to Bulma's horror, a small orb of energy started to gather on the tip of the prince's index finger. She quickly rushed over to him so she would block the light it emitted.

"Er, Veggie? Penal means, like, the punishment you'd get. For crimes and stuff." She had the pleasure of seeing Vegeta look the slightest bit embarrassed, but he quickly covered it with his usual scowl. "For example, if you don't shut up, the nice Officer here will have to do something about it."

He rolled his eyes, as if he couldn't believe any of this was actually happening to him. "This is completely ludicrous!" Vegeta yelled. "I need to save your planet, you useless, ungrateful human! Tell me, what are your plans when a pair of androids come and start killing people left and right? I'm insanely curious." His face was hostile and the muscles in his neck were flexing.

Officer Steve put a hand to his gun, and took a step backwards. "Miss Briefs, I have reason to believe that this man has more than anger management issues... I think I'm going to ask him to take a breathalyzer test and perhaps one for drugs, as well." He took out a small tube attached to a black object with a digital read out, which he promptly stuck in Vegeta's face.

Bulma, sure she was about to see a fireworks show exploding from Vegeta, snatched it away and tossed it to the couch. "Officer, may I have a word with you?" She asked, trying her best to be seductive at two in the morning. Warily, Steve followed her into the kitchen.

"Sir, I am so sorry about Vegeta. The truth is, I didn't want to embarrass him earlier. He has, um... uh..." Great. There was literally nothing she could do. Shaking her head and knowing Steve probably wouldn't believe it, she continued. "He suffers from hallucinations and... ugh, I don't know... a form tourettes syndrome, and the room he is actually in all night is a padded cell so he can't hurt anyone."

The biggest surprise Bulma had received in a long time was when the officer nodded sympathetically and placed a beautiful tanned hand on her shoulder. Was he serious? He actually _believed_ her half-ass lie?

"I can imagine how hard that must be on him, Miss Briefs. I actually volunteer at the community center to tutor mentally handicapped children on weekends, and some of them suffer from the same symptoms." He smiled sadly. "I applaud you for taking someone with such a delicate mind into your home."

Bulma was, to put it lightly, gaping like a fish at the man in front of her. He was in the police force, so that must have meant he obeyed the law and had a good income. He voluntarily tutored special kids every single weekend, so he obviously was kind, patient, respectful, and loved to do it. It was, quite plainly, nothing short of a miracle.

"The thing is," she murmured, batting her eyelashes, "It can get so lonely around here sometimes. Of course I love taking care of Vegeta, but he takes up so much time and lots of people just don't understand him. I don't have many people I can talk about him with," she sighed. "What I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee with someone that_ gets_ it."

He laguhed softly. "I feel the same way. Hey, why don't we get together this weekend? We can just go to Starbucks, grab a drink. Do you have an hour free?"

"Sure!" Bulma replied, a little too quickly (and a little too loud.)

"Great. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Oh, and I'll let Vegeta off with a warning. But please remind him to keep it down, okay?"

She nodded, wide-eyed, and watched the officer make his way back to his car. She didn't realize how long she stood there after Steve left until a gruff voice spoke right into her ear.

"I don't know for sure, but I don't think drooling on the hardwood floors is considered proper etiquette on this mud ball."

Bulma almost lost her footing she was so startled, but instead she turned around and smacked the shoulder of the Saiyan that was standing directly behind her. "Vegeta! Don't you dare sneak up on me like that ever again!"

"I wouldn't have to if you responded to me summoning you half a dozen times."

"Summoning? You summoned me? No wonder I didn't reply; I'm not a St. Bernard."

"Really? Could have fooled me."

That earned him another smack in the arm, which hurt Bulma's hand and Vegeta only noticed because she winced. Amused, he took her hand and inspected it. "Woman, if you continue to hit me, I will be forced to strike you back. I won't, however, because your red hand seems to be in enough pain from trying to inflict damage on me." He flung it back at her, as if it had suddenly caught fire. "Let that be a lesson for you."

"You're a real ass."

"You're the one who hit me, woman. Don't blame anyone but yourself." He still wore that stupid smug expression that contained a little humor.

Once again angry at herself for being so stupid (and being outwitted by an annoying space alien), she stormed into the lab, shut down the electricity running through the gravity room, and locked it with her password. Bulma then stomped upstairs to her room, calling to Vegeta, "Go to sleep and sleep long, because I've got a date with Officer Steve tomorrow morning and I won't be turning on your stupid toy again until I get back. Nighty night, your majesty!"

She thought she heard an angry snarl come from below, but she couldn't be sure; she had already shut her door and settled into her soft sheets, falling asleep waiting for her knight in shining armor to save her from the evil prince.

...Z...

That night, Bulma had one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming. She was hiding in a closet, covering her ears and crying while Officer Steve made breakfast and left to drive the kids to school. When she heard him leave and walked out to the kitchen, all the Z fighters except Goku and Piccolo were there, laughing and wondering why she had been hiding.

...Z...

Poking her head into Vegeta's bedroom, she noticed he wasn't sleeping. Wondering where the prince would be if the GR wasn't up and running, she wandered into the kitchen; he wasn't eating, either. She finally phoned Chi Chi to see if he was sparring with Goku, but her best friend told her that they were all eating breakfast and Vegeta hadn't been around all day.

Deciding to give up when the doorbell rang, she ran to answer it.

Officer Steve stood there, gorgeous as always. "Hello, Miss Br-"

"Call me Bulma."

"Well then, hello Bulma. Are you ready?"

"Um, just about. Can you sit tight for a second while I grab my shoes from upstairs? You can make yourself at home."

Steve nodded, smiled, and went to sit on a huge sofa in the sitting room. Bulma glanced at him for a moment before hurrying upstairs to find her flip flops.

Where were they? She specifically re-did her toenails that morning so she could wear her new sandals, but no matter where she looked, her shoes were no where to be seen. Deciding that she had kept her coffee date waiting long enough, she settled for some regular shoes and walked downstairs...

...to find Vegeta sitting on the La-Z-Boy, arms crossed, glaring accusingly at Steve. The Police officer, on the other hand, looked about two minutes away from a breakdown.

"Um, Vegeta! Hey! What are you doing out?"

"Oh, my apologies, woman. I forgot I wasn't allowed to leave my padded cell. I suppose I had another hallucination that made me believe I took you into the other room and blasted you into the next dimension, along with your friend here that is almost as dim-witted as that weak fighter you used to see for _using_ the prince of all Saiyans like this." Though he spoke to Bulma, Vegeta's gaze did not once waver from Steve's face.

"Don't worry!" She told Steve, who still looked as if he was about to wet himself. "He's just like the children you tutor. Harmless, really. He knows if he hurts anyone then I won't let my mother cook and _I'll_ make all his meals."

"I never would have thought you'd stoop so low, woman. What are you to do when he doesn't boss you around or tell you off every day? I say you won't last a week before you get bored of him."

"We're not even together! And by the way," she added, acid dripping from her voice, "just to correct you, most women want a guy who actually calls them by their first name, and doesn't torment her, and isn't an idiot. I know, it's crazy, because you're the prince of all Saiyans and how could any of your traits _not_ be desirable?"

"Er, maybe I should leave..." Steve said, making a move to grab his coat.

"No! No. I'll be just a second. I just need to, um, fix something really quick."

"Miss Briefs, I just don't think-"

"I'm not crazy, I swear. It's just the way you have to speak to Vegeta. Honestly." She smiled, even though she probably looked like a crazy lady doing it because what she _really_ wanted to do was throw the spiky heel of her shoe right into Vegeta's chest, but Steve must have bought it because he nodded and got up.

Vegeta just laughed while she walked outside to the car after turning back on the electricity to the G.R., saying more stuff about her getting bored with him and other nonsense that Bulma couldn't give a rat's ass about.

..Z..

Okay. Maybe- just maybe- Steve was a little boring. She tried to pay attention, she really did! He even held out her chair for her and bought the coffee and didn't talk about himself the whole time. Sometimes, he'd slip and call her Miss Briefs! Like she was this really important businesswoman!

What she gathered from coffee was that he was born in America (and wasn't crazy passionate about fighting, thank god) and joined the force as soon as he turned 18. He didn't have any kids, and four years ago he was engaged for three months before he broke it off. And, of course, he described each of the kids he tutored. In detail.

Bulma tried to tell herself it was good he was so excited about it and played basketball and arts and crafts with them and whatever, and wondered if this was how a date was supposed to go. She had never really just made _conversation _with someone before. Well, with someone she wanted to have a relationship with. Her only boyfriend had been Yamcha, and _he_- well, she didn't need to think about him. Everybody knew how he was.

But on the way back inside to C.C.- after Steve asked for her number and promised to call her- Bulma decided she would not give Vegeta the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Time to put those acting skills to work.

"Hello, everyone!" She cooed as she walked inside, plastering a giant smile on her face to show just how great a morning she'd had.

"Hello, darling!" Bunny said as she walked downstairs in a robe and- you guessed it- bunny slippers. "Where has my little girl been?"

"Oh, I just went on the most amazing date! He was so beautiful, I swear he must be a prince!"

Just then, a certain Saiyan nightmare came storming through the kitchen. "What did you just say?" He demanded, sticking a finger in Bulma's face. "Did you call that low-life scum a _prince_? Lie to me, if you did. I don't know if I would be able to stop myself from Gallick Gunning you into ashes."

She grabbed Vegeta's hands and spun them around in circles. "Oh, Vegeta, he is definitely my prince charming. He's beautiful, and kind, and listens to what I say. What else could I ask for?"

Vegeta snatched his hands back as if Bulma's hands had a terrible rash he didn't want to catch. "I don't know what has gotten into you, woman. Stop dancing around like a fairy."

"Well, I'm a little confused, but I think it's great that you and Vegeta went on a date together!" Bunny exclaimed. "I always thought you two would make beautiful grandbab-"

"WHAT?!" Bulma and Vegeta screamed in unison.

"I would never-"

"Where would you even get the idea that-"

"-stupid arrogant prick-"

"-prince of all Siayans! I-"

"-like I would ever consider being with someone so incredibly-"

"-isn't even worthy enough to scrub my feet, let alone-"

"Alright, Alright! Calm down, kids," Bunny said while adjusting her giant hair. "When Bulma came in here talking about her prince and then you started dancing and calling Vegeta beautiful and kind, what's a woman supposed to think?"

"I was describing _Steve_ to Vegeta! Didn't you get that when I said he 'listened to what I say'?" Bulma's face was beet red, and she didn't dare turn to face the man standing behind her.

"Steve? How would I have guessed it was someone named Steve, Bulma?"

"Ugh, you don't get it! I didn't mean you had to guess his name, just realize that it was anyone_ but_ Vegeta!"

"You're dating a man named Steve?"

"What's wrong with Steve?"

Bunny sighed. "Nothing, dear. Don't you think it's just a little... plain?"

Bulma's sweat dropped. "Mom, his name has nothing to do with his personality. He's a great guy!"

"Well, that's nice, dear. What does he look like?" There was her mother, always insisting it was on the inside that counted most.

"Uh, he has light brown hair and green eyes. He's really tanned and tall."

"Hm. How... cute." Her mother looked disappointed for a while, but then perked up. "Does this mean Vegeta's still single?" She asked excitedly.

Everyone fell anime-style.

* * *

I decided to make it a little more like DBZ rather than a soap opera-style like how many people write their fics, which you probably noticed at the end. Don't forget to review!

Also, I don't have anything against the name Steve. But if you hadn't noticed, no one in Dragonball has a normal name. Haha.

OH YEAH! Pretty pretty PLEASE vote on the poll on my profile. It will help me so much.

But first, review. Cuz my readers are THAT awesome. Don't forget, if you're a member, I'll totally reply! Also, feel free to PM me. Thanks for everyone's support. If you're reading this message, I'm giving you a (virtual) giant hug.


	4. We Both Feel Stupid

I think Steve is a great guy (and I would pretty much kill anyone to get a guy like him,) but wayyy too boring for this story. So he's still involved, but I'm not describing their dates, because who on earth would ever find that entertaining? I know I wouldn't want to read that, so why would I force you guys to? If you like Steve, great job. I sure don't. Hah! Anyway.

I'm aware of the death threats and the many hits put out on me right now. Someone actually walked in on my final exam and put a gun to my head, saying a reader had waited long enough for an update. I'M SORRY! But I really DID have finals, and I really DID have to study so I wouldn't fail Math. Next semester, I have Home Ec, English, Science, and Technology education (like metalwork and woodwork and stuff.) So I'm totally looking forward to that.

My love life is still pathetic as usual (the guy of my dreams doesn't like me back- you know what, I won't go into it. You probably don't care.) , so I'm going to channel my pent up rage into this chapter. Also, for some reason, my stomach is swelling. Good thing it's not bikini season. Well, maybe in Mexico. But I live in Canada.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, it's not THAT cold here. I'm not actually typing this in an igloo, like some people think. And I don't talk funny! God, I'm losing it. But I DO like pancakes and bacon (then again, who doesn't? MMMM... bacon...)

Anay-hoozle. I just got back from work, and I have a beautiful four day weekend. So perhaps another chapter will come up soon...? I'm not making any promises, but... I hope I have time to write two.

CRAP! Just read the chapter! It's freaking past midnight!

* * *

"I'm going on another date!" Three days later, Steve had called and asked her out to dinner. She happily agreed, glad to get out of the house for a while. "I'll be back in a few hours!"

On date number two, Bulma found out Steve wanted to get married, have kids, and own a house. The reason he broke off his engagement a few years back was because his fiancee was moving to Australia for work and he couldn't leave the force or his students, both of whom needed him. They had ended on good terms. He paid for his mother to be in a nursing home in Europe, because that's where she wanted to be but still needed assistance to live. He had received a scholarship to law school at Harvard but decided he liked action better after graduating and wanted to be involved with the law in a different way.

All in all, a perfect man. She even kissed him good-bye!

When she returned, Vegeta was sitting by himself in the kitchen. It was an odd sight.

"What are you doing, Veggie? Aren't you usually training right now?" She asked.

"How is that your business?" He countered.

"I don't know, just making conversation. I went on another date."

"Hm. I hope you didn't snore when you fell asleep."

"I did not fall asleep!" _Much_, she added silently. "Steve showed me a wonderful time. He took me out for dinner and paid and walked me to the door and kissed me goodnight. He's the nicest gentleman I know!"

He snorted.

"Whatever, Vegeta. You're just jealous because you don't know how to treat a lady."

He slammed a hand down on the table. "Don't _ever _accuse me of being jealous of that pathetic waste of space, woman. And how do you know if he knows how to treat a lady? You've only ever seen him on dates with _you_."

"Oh, very clever, 'Geta. I'm crying on the inside because of your witty comebacks."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "You have a spot of drool on your shirt."

What?! She so did _not_ drool! She quickly checked herself over once, and then twice. The only time she might have dozed off was the drive home, and... she looked herself over a third time. There was nothing there.

"You are a real son of a bitch, Vegeta."

"At least I know you really _did_ fall asleep. What a real charmer that human must be."

"Just shut up, please. You still haven't told me why you're in here and not in the Gravity Room," she reminded him, trying to change the subject.

It worked; he grunted. "I have been training for months, woman," he told her. "Months! I'm now training at almost four hundred times earth's gravity, day and night, pushing myself... and I'm still not a Super Saiyan."

She cocked her head. "You thought you could reach Super Saiyan by... by _training_?"

"Why, what's your great idea? Did you come up with another invention?" His tone was mocking, but she could see genuine curiosity in his eyes.

"No. But... I have a theory." She paused for dramatic effect.

"I don't have all night, woman. Spit it out."

Alright, cancel the dramatic pause."Goku-"

"Never mind. If it includes that idiot Kakarott in any way, forget I asked." He stood up to leave.

"No!" She objected. "Just listen. Everyone knows he's a Super Saiyan. And why? He wanted to become one for those he cared about, not for his own benefit."

His jaw dropped, and he was speechless. For the first time in his life, Vegeta didn't utter a word- just stared at her.

"I don't think it's something that happens when you reach a certain power level. You become one when there's nothing left for you to give, but you need something more- _need_ it, to save the ones you love."

There was a long moment of silence. "Th-that's completely ridiculous," he stammered, finally breaking the pause. "Our entire race of warriors did everything we could to _stop_ those kinds of emotions from surfacing, because it interfered with our training. There's no way it could have been the key all along. It's not possible!"

"Well, your way isn't working. So you better start opening yourself to new ideas, or you'll never ascend."

He didn't reply, only stood up so quickly that his chair stumbled over backwards. He paced a few steps, then ran a hand through his black hair. "Is that your secret, Kakarott?" He suddenly yelled to the sky. "_Love_?" He spat the word, as if it was something foul spewing from his mouth.

She picked at a hangnail. "I don't know for sure... but it needs to be something _big_. It can't be out of spite or hate towards someone that you want to become a Super Saiyan. Not because you want to be stronger than someone you don't like."

He continued pacing, looking deep in thought. Bulma's mind wandered, pondering how long her and Steve would last. Would it be so terrible for her live with him? He'd be great to her. They'd make cute kids. He was smart, in shape, and compassionate. Her perfect guy...

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly as Vegeta leaned in toward her. At first, she thought he was inspecting something on her face, then she thought he was going to hurt her. But when his face moved closer and closer, she realized he was trying to..._ kiss_ her?

"Get off me!" She shrieked, slapping at the hand that had cupped one side of her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

How come she put that stupid thought in his head? Now he was trying to 'love' her, just to become a Super Saiyan.

"What's wrong with _you_, Bulma?" Vegeta demanded, surprised. He sat back down, looking at her like he actually didn't get it.

"I'm not your play toy!" She exclaimed, hurt at the fact someone with so much pride would do something like that to her. "I'm not just something you use until you get what you want and then throw me away!"

"Do you want to be saved from the androids or not, woman?"

"Not like this!" To her horror, tears were pricking at her eyes. She begged Kami that Vegeta would not see her cry- especially because of something he did. "Not by having you fake-love me just to become a Super Saiyan! Just so you can _prove_ yourself to Goku!"

"Are you that selfish? To protect your precious little heart, you'd give up the chance to save your stupid planet?" Now he was getting angry. At _her!_ What nerve.

"The feelings have to be_ real_, Vegeta!" She yelled. "You can't pretend to love me. You would have to actually _want_ to save me. To care about my fate. To want to protect me at all costs, because there'd be no point to life without me._ That's_ what love is." The tears fell over her cheeks, much to her dismay. "You can't force love," she added almost indistinctly.

He rested an elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I don't understand these emotions!" He yelled. "I want to become a Super Saiyan, and to do that, you say I need to love someone. What do you expect me to do?"

"Find someone who you love and who loves you _back_. Someone you'd give up everything for. It doesn't need to be romantic love, either! You just need to have a heart," she was crying now. Runny nose and all. She was humiliated beyond belief; she was nothing more than an object to him. Like the Gravity Room, or the training bots, or the fridge.

He looked back up at her, his expression incredulous. "Who would want to love me? I don't even like anyone here! What other options are there for me- your idiotic mother? Kakarott? They're the only ones who don't mind my company, and you're the only one whose company_ I_ don't mind." His face was angry and expectant and confused, but in the end, he was just looking at Bulma helplessly.

"Well, I guess you'll never become a Super Saiyan then, Vegeta," she whispered, sniffling. "Because I could _never_ love you."

He looked at her, his eyes furious and perplexed. "You're probably wrong with your theory anyway," he scoffed. "It's a good thing, actually, because I don't think _I_ could ever force myself to l-"

"Get out, Vegeta!" She screamed. "Leave. I really don't want to talk to you anymore." She hid her face with her hideous hair.

"You _won't_ tell me what to do-"

She shook her head; more tears fell down her red face. "Please," she murmured, her voice breaking. "I'm begging you. Please, just leave."

His fists clenched, and his eyes narrowed, but he turned around and walked outside to the Gravity Room.

..Z..

After showering and realizing that it had been absolutely stupid to cry in front of Vegeta, she decided to get him back. He probably thought he had this big influence on her emotions now, or something. Well, not for long. No one humiliates Bulma Briefs.

She rummaged through her stationary and found a pen and paper, coming up with something that sounded just right. The genius scribbled down her message with a flourish, and didn't bother to sign it. Who else would it be from? Bulma gave it to one of the robots to deliver through the slot in the GR, and went downstairs to make a huge vat of oatmeal.

His _stomach_ may have been immune to all foods, but that didn't mean she couldn't dump it on him.

While the slop cooked, she did some really boring sciency-stuff that calculated exactly when he'd come in and the angle she'd have to hang the bucket of porridge at, then she grabbed some supplies from the garage and made her way upstairs.

After she had set up the contraption of ropes and pulleys- one by the door and the window, because with Vegeta, you never really knew which entrance he'd use- she decided to take a quick nap. It was only midnight- she had a while before she had arranged for him to show up!

*MEANWHILE, IN THE GRAVITY CHAMBER...*

He kicked the training bot as hard as he could. How dare that stupid idiot of a a woman turn down his invitation! Back on his planet, she'd have been thrown in prison or banished from society by now. He tried to let it go- who would ever discover the horrific events that had occurred earlier?- but he couldn't shake the feeling. Suddenly, a piece of paper slipped through a small slit in the door.

_Vegeta-_

_I'm sorry about before. I've reconsidered. _

_Meet me in my room at two a.m.; Don't keep me waiting._

Vegeta smirked as he read the note the woman wrote him. Knowing her, she was probably just setting him up for a useless 'prank', or whatever the weaklings called it to humiliate him even further. Perhaps she thought he'd freshen up before meeting her, and put hair dye in his shampoo. Maybe a bucket of paint or oatmeal or creamed corn hung from above a doorway. He even believed she could have set up a camera and wanted to record her rejecting him _again_ to use as blackmail.

The last one may have actually worked, seeing as how he thought she was a servant of the household for the first few weeks he resided there, but who would she show? It's not like he cared what her useless friends thought. So he disintegrated the piece of paper in his hand, and at 2 o'clock, phased so quickly into her room that by the time he'd opened and closed the window the pulley system he'd discovered never had the chance to work.

She was sleeping. A lump underneath the blanket that slowly moved up and down proved what he'd already suspected when he sensed her ki level fall even lower than usual. Grinning like a mad man, Vegeta sat stiffly on the bed beside her with his eyes wide open. He'd be staring at her, completely clean of that slop, and it would show her just how superior he really was when she awoke from her slumber.

..Z..

"Bulma? _Vegeta?_" Bulma heard a somewhat familiar voice ask. "What the hell..."

She tried to roll over, but felt herself being pinned down by something that felt like a metal bar. Slowly opening her eyes and adjusting to the light filtering through her curtains, she blinked and saw Steve standing beside her bed. With oatmeal almost completely covering him.

"Oh... hi. What did you say about Vegeta?" She yawned, barely noticing what was going on.

"You tell me."

Bulma blinked slowly again and she slowly turned her head...

Only to come face-to-face with Vegeta's neck.

She screamed, jolting the Siayan prince from his sleep.

Vegeta looked at Bulma. Bulma looked at Vegeta. Bulma looked at Steve. Steve looked at Vegeta. Vegeta took his arm off Bulma. Vegeta looked at Steve. Steve looked at Bulma. Bulma-

Okay. You get the point.

"Anyone want to explain to me what's going on?" The police officer asked, wiping oatmeal off his face.

Bulma groggily tried to remember how she'd gotten there. She had gotten mad at Vegeta... she made a contraption... she sent him a note...

And then she fell asleep! Well, Steve wouldn't have to know that. She could still get Vegeta back for making her feel like a total idiot the evening before.

"I just went to bed last night," Bulma told him innocently. "I don't know how _he_ got here."

Vegeta laughed. "You asked me to meet you in here yesterday. Or have you forgotten? Usually it wouldn't surprise me, seeing as how you're a complete idiot, but really. It has only been six hours."

"Um..." She glanced at Steve's expectant face. "I just wanted to ask how his gravity- er, his _entertainment_ room was going. I must have fallen asleep before he got here. But I don't know why he wouldn't have just left when he saw I wasn't awake." She looked at the Saiyan sitting up beside her.

He narrowed his eyes at Bulma. "I don't need to explain myself to anyone. I am the prince-"

"Oh, shut up. It's getting old."

"Don't you tell me-"

"WHY AM I COVERED IN OATMEAL?!" Steve finally yelled.

Vegeta raised a brow. "How are we supposed to know? We were sleeping."

"There was a giant vat of oatmeal hanging over her-" he stabbed a finger at Bulma- "_door_. Who does that?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Vegeta sneered.

"It was a science experiment!" Yeah. That was really the best she could come up with. "With uh, angles, and y'know, gravity... it's a physics thing. You guys probably wouldn't understand."

"No," Vegeta conceded, "We probably don't. But what I _do_ understand is that you were trying to cover me with that disgusting substance just to humiliate me further."

"_Further?" _Bulma let out a short, hard laugh in disbelief. "Are you _kidding? _You were the one who practically told me I was nothing but another 'object' to help you become a Super Saiyan."

"Super Saiyan? What's that?" Steve asked.

"Well, imagine my thoughts when my invitation to someone like _you_ was declined!" Vegeta bellowed, completely ignoring him. "Every sane creature throughout the galaxy would give up anything for that kind of opportunity, and you treated it as if it alone wasn't good enough for you!"

Bulma snorted. "You idiot. It _isn't_ good enough for me. You think I just want you for your body, or something? Or so I can brag to my friends about it? I've never been a 'casual sex' kind of a girl, and I certainly am not going to become one just for your bruised ego!" She cried.

"So... you guys are just going to hang out in bed, then?"

"Well, what the hell _is_ love? Everyone refers to that as 'making love' around here, so won't it-"

"You're such an idiot! Making love to and plain old 'doing' someone are two totally different things! When you run into someone you had a one night stand with you don't say _'Oh, yeah. Remember we made passionate love together a few months back?_'."

"I guess I should just wash this oatmeal off..."

"What makes you think _you _know what love is? You even admitted you never loved that fool, Yamcha. Who else have you been with?"

"I do so know what love is!"

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because I have loved someone."

"Oh, yeah?" Vegeta smirked. "And just who would that be?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes at the Saiyan prince, jumped out of bed, grabbed Steve (oatmeal and all) and pulled his lips down to meet hers.

* * *

Woot! Veggie's gonna be SOOOO jealous next chappie! I'm super excited to write it. Give me suggestions for what you want to see him do! You all make me laugh, so I'm you can tell me some funny situations for them to be in.

Sorry it's so short. But I needed to end it there!

And yes, Bulma said THE line. Vegeta will, too. Don't worry your pretty little heads. But Vegeta will say it much later, when Bulma finally admits it to him... argh! I don't wana give away the story! Damn. But at least you have one little spoiler for some later chapters.

Haw haw. Poor lil' Steve! He was ignored for a while, and he's probably not gonna live to see his next birthday with Vegeta's reaction. REVIEW!

And don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile :)


	5. The Deal

I DO own the entire Dragonball universe. That is why I'm working a minimum wage job, still attending high school, and am NOT asian.

Unless you're slow and don't understand: I'm totally lying.

Enjoy the chapter- finally, Steve is gone!

P.S.- Sorry for the hella long delay. I've been super busy (I know that's a bad excuse, but it's true!)- but I've got a new computer, so the updates will come faster!

* * *

Vegeta's first reaction was to laugh. Mostly because the woman was getting oatmeal all over her face and in her ugly hair, but also partly because he knew she was only putting on a show to get him going. Why she believed he would care what she did, he had no idea.

But then he noticed the look in her eyes as she pulled away for a moment, and he saw something. He couldn't decipher human emotions as well as most earthlings, but he was a fast learner and realized quickly that the strange twinkle in her eye was one of affection. Love? He wasn't sure... but how could he be certain? Bulma's parents claimed to be in love, and then the idiotic mother would show interest in Vegeta. Then again, Kakarott and his harpy of a mate acted nothing like them. They had separate views on almost everything, and usually she was yelling at him.

He was angry that the 'love' phenomenon was different for every single being on the worthless planet he was staying on, because he didn't know how the woman was really feeling.

Wait a moment. Why should he care? The prince of the strongest race in the universe, concerned with a _human_ woman's emotions. His father was probably laughing in the other world.

*IN THE OTHER WORLD*

King Vegeta slammed his fist down on the table. "What is wrong with you, son? I know I raised you better than that." He shook his head sadly. "I mean, really. Everyone sees what's going to happen between those two. Why doesn't he just make a move already?"

*BACK ON EARTH*

"You're in _love_ with me?" Steve asked.

Bulma glanced quickly in Vegeta's direction, a look of uncertainty in her eyes. Did he notice? She hoped not. "Huh? Oh. Yes. Ah... of course I am." She let a wide grin spread across her cheeks, and Steve returned the smile.

"We've known each other for like three days..."

"I know, but I just feel a- a _connection_. Like we've known each other for ever." _Too long_, she added silently, then mentally slapped herself for thinking it.

"I feel it too! Hey, let me go home and shower, and I'll take you out for breakfast. Just you and me. Sound good?" He asked with a wink.

Bulma's face was now hurting from the smile she was forcing, but she managed to nod. "I'd like that."

"Good. See you in a while."

Bulma turned around to face the Saiyan prince, who looked as though he was holding back a laugh. "Maybe you should clean up too," he smirked, gesturing to her hair. She knew there was probably a little oatmeal in it, but Vegeta had a tendency to exaggerate things...

She shook her head and walked into the bathroom.

Birds flew away from their nests outside in response to the scream coming out of Capsule Corp that could be heard for miles.

..Z..

"How was your date, hon?" Bunny inquired as Bulma trudged through the front door.

"Terrible. Can you believe somebody called the paparazzi? Usually the press is really good and never bothers me at all, unless I go to an event or something. But today, they were all over me! I just don't get it!" Bulma sat on the couch, exhausted. She would never admit it, but running from the media was the most excitement she'd ever had on a date with Officer Steve.

"Well that is so bad! Me and Vegeta had a great morning. We played a wonderful game of charades!" Hr mother gushed.

Bulma sighed, deciding to play along. "Did you now?"

"We sure did! He pretended to be an evil prince and I was his servant! I cooked and cleaned for him and even rubbed his feet! My, it was quite adventurous!"

Bulma smiled weakly. "I'm sure it was, mom. Better than my day, that's for sure. The press even acted like- I don't know, they were invited, or something. Expected to be there."

"How strange." She looked into space.

"What are you thinking about, mom?"

Bunny's cheeks turned a slight shade of red. "Nothing."

"Mom...."

Her cheeks turned darker.

"Mom, you're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you! You're thinking about Vegeta again!"

Bunny became flustered. "Oh, dear! I have to feed the animals! I almost forgot!" And with that, Mrs. Briefs grabbed one bag of fertilizer and another of laundry detergent and rushed off to tend to her pets.

..Z..

"Mom! How come my cell phone is out of minutes? I haven't used it all day!" A few hours later after enjoying the quiet of her home, Bulma decided to phone Chi Chi. Apparently, Goku was attempting to get his driver's license, and it wasn't something she wanted to miss. However, when she went to make the call, the monotone voice inside her cell informed her that she was out of calling time. Which was strange, because she had had at least 20 minutes left last time she checked.

There was no reply.

"Mother? I know you're here, I can hear you watching your soaps upstairs. If you used it, it's fine."

Still no answer.

"Fine!" Gee, her mother sure was daft. She walked upstairs to see Bunny sitting with a guilty expression on her face.

"Well, Bulma... Steve asked me not to tell you. But I guess I will, because you know how I'm bad with secrets!" She giggled. "He told me he had a big surprise and he needed to use your phone because the person he was calling would recognize your number and answer right away. Honey..." She stood up, grabbing her daughters' hands. "I think he called the jeweler. He's buying you an engagement ring!"

Bulma blinked. Once. Twice. Trying to keep her breakfast down, she flipped open her phone and checked outgoing calls. She knew who Steve was _really_ calling- it didn't take her genius to figure it out.

**Call: Sent at 8:17 A.M. to _Celebs Weekly  
_Call: Sent at 8:24 A.M. to _Stars Tonight_  
Call: Sent at 8:30 A.M. to _Sunday Times  
_Call: Sent at 8:39 A.M. to _Your Daily Dose of Entertainment News_**

Damn it. Damn it! That asshole Steve and his asshole face and his asshole phone calls! And now she didn't even have the minutes on her phone to call him and tell him what a complete asshole he was!

Taking a few deep, calming breaths, she slowly walked toward her bedroom, buried her face in her pillow, and screamed at the injustice of it all. Then she curled up under her covers and phoned Chi Chi from her landline until late into the night, because sometimes, you just needed some girl talk.

..Z..

Bulma awoke to the sound of the paper boy slamming the _Sunday Times_ into her (open) second-story window. It ended up whacking her in the face, but no big deal or anything. Taking the forming bruise on her forehead as a bad omen, she yawned and slowly looked at the newspaper.

Front page. She could not believe it. She was on the front page not because of her inventions or smarts, but because she was hanging out with _'Newest Heartthrob Steve Shmofficer! 'She's a handful, but I definitely like being with her.' Full interview on page D3'_. No freaking way. He did an INTERVIEW!?

After throwing the newspaper back out her window, she walked into her bathroom to shower and make herself up for the day. She didn't care how early it was. Most people can't get back to sleep after being hit in the head by a newspaper and then finding out that their boyfriend was a total traitor.

By the time she got downstairs, fully dressed and ready for the day, she realized it was only 7:30. Ah, well. A few more hours of quiet wouldn't be so bad- in fact, she had some projects she needed to finish up anyway. She was actually looking forward to the day, when...

"Why was this at the door of the gravity chamber?" Vegeta demanded, throwing the _Times_ onto the counter. Perfect; how else could you top off the perfect morning?

"Sorry, 'Geta. I just threw it out of my window in frustration. I guess it landed near your Gravity Room." Usually she wasn't so civil to him, and would probably have started a fight, but her heart just wasn't in it.

"Why would you be frustrated? Your and man of your dreams' faces are splashed all over the front cover of this. Shouldn't you be glad?"

Bulma bit her lip. "I... want Steve and I to have our privacy together."

"Right. I go with what I said at the beginning- I don't give you until the end of the week before you're begging me to disintegrate him."

"That's a bet I'm sure to win. Why would I leave the man I love?" Her voice faltered a bit at the end. Ugh.

Vegeta, noticing this, smiled coyly. "If you're so sure, why don't we put a wager on it?"

"Fine! Name your price," Bulma dared. "There's only three more days til' our one week anniversary."

"If I win, you will fill the gravity room with everything I need and leave me alone for as long as I desire."

"And if I win?"

"I named my price, you name yours."

Bulma considered this. "If I win..." Suddenly, an idea popped into her brain. "If I win, you have to let Yamcha beat you in an arm wrestle!"

A vein just about popped in Vegeta's forehead; his jaw dropped to the floor. "Are you... insane?" He sputtered.

"Nope. But I thought you were sure you were going to win. You could always drop out of the-"

"Deal."

Bulma snickered. His pride was his biggest weak point! "Shake on it?" She offered Vegeta her hand.

"Hmph." He accepted it, and they shook. She had to win. And, much as she tried to deny it, there was a teeny tiny little part of her that knew she had to win not only for bragging rights, humiliation purposes, and her _own_ pride- but also maybe because she might just miss the stupid Saiyan if he left for too long.

..Z..

"Would you shut that thing off?" Vegeta demanded, gesturing to the TV while chowing down his lunch. "You're the only thing earthlings have been discussing all day! It really just proves what stupid lowlifes they are if _you_ are the most exciting subject."

"Sorry. Fine. I was just channel surfing."

"And what about these stupid magazines? How did they all get in here?"

"Mom bought them. She buys everything that has my name in print." She rolled her eyes at the time Bunny purchased the _National Enquierer_ because it claimed _'Bulma Briefs was a galactic robot, carrying hybrid babies.' _Right. What's next? Bulma Briefs is housing an alien warrior, intent on destroying the planet? Pfft. Right.

Hey, wait-

"So. Talked to the weakling yet?" Vegeta inquired.

"Which one? Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, or Steve?" Of course _Bulma_ didn't think they were weaklings, but Vegeta called all of her friends 'weaklings'- with the exception of Goku, whom he usually referred to as 'Kakarott' or 'Clown'- so she never really knew who he was talking about.

"The last one. Idiot. I'm waiting to see your reaction."

"Get out of here, jerk. Go train or something." She didn't exactly mind the prince's company, for the most part. They didn't have too many conversations until recently, and even though most of them had turned into fights, at least she wasn't completely alone in the giant house. But today... she didn't really have the energy to duel it out with him. "Besides, I'm not even going to get mad."

"Sure. Which is why you screamed into your pillow for ten minutes yesterday evening while I was training."

"I was screaming out of joy..?"

"You need to work on your lying skills."

"Yeah..." She agreed. "Well, I was more screaming at the fact that Steve called all the paparazzi himself. I didn't really want to go public yet." True enough. Except she didn't want to go public- with Steve, anyway- _ever._

"Sure," he scoffed. "I'm going to train. Come tell me when you're going to call that weakling of yours. Or dump another bucket of oatmeal on his head."

"I'll be sure to do that," Bulma replied sarcastically.

"You'd better," he replied before walking out to his Gravity Room (A.K.A. his soul mate.)

Even she had to admit Vegeta was right. How come people were so obsessed with celebrity couples? She wasn't even really a _celebrity_- she was an inventor. But because of her looks, she was apparently on the A-list. And she'd never really minded before, because the press just didn't annoy her. There was never a word in the magazines that at sixteen, she went off traveling alone with a little boy to collect 7 magical balls. Or that her father designed a space ship that took them to other solar systems to defeat alien tyrants.

But now that they were apparently 'reassured' by her 'loving boyfriend' that taking pictures everywhere she went was 'completely alright' by her, she knew she was probably going to stay inside for a _very_ long time. She knew that would work out for two reasons: The first was because unless you had the passcode or was buzzed in by someone inside, you couldn't get near the house. The second was because at breakfast that morning...

_"This is terrible, mom. I don't want reporters following me everywhere!" Bulma complained._

_"Aw, honey, it ain't so bad!"_

_Vegeta, as usual, was silent._

_"But how am I going to get work done? They'll be so loud!"_

_Vegeta glanced up._

_"Oh, Bulma dear, it will all work out. You know they can't get inside, so they'll probably just stay out on the lawn. You can just turn your music up and shut all your blinds!"_

_"But I won't be able to go outside. It's warm out, mother. I want to lounge by the pool this summer, but loud, pushy reporters are going to be all over the grounds!"_

_The prince's nostrils flared. "My Gravity Chamber is outside."_

_"Oh, dear, Vegeta!" Bunny cried. "I'm sorry! I guess you're going to have to stay inside with us until this subsides."_

_He narrowed his eyes condescendingly at Bunny. "Not likely. If any journalists set foot anywhere near the Gravity Room and interrupt my training, I will blast them all."_

_Bulma and her mother looked wide-eyed at each other._

_"Er... well, honey, at least we know you won't be bothered by them!"_

And so Bulma was staying inside.

..Z..

By the next day, Vegeta still didn't look nervous about losing the bet. Like usual, he didn't say too much to her, just came inside for his meals, said something idiotic to Bulma, laughed when she starting losing her temper, and then walked off.

On the seventh day, Steve called. Unfortunately, only her cell had Caller I.D., and she had to use her home phone because she hadn't made it to the mobile store to buy more. So she couldn't have known it was Steve before she answered.

Long story short: After half an hour, she ended it. She tried. God, she tried to stay with him. But it was so plainly obvious that he was just using her to get famous or something, so she screamed at him for a while then hung up. Stupid Steve. Stupid Vegeta.

And now she had to fulfill the bet. Maybe she could fill the Gravity Room with food and fuel and some more training gear and never have to talk to Vegeta about it.

"I heard your conversation." A smug voice said from behind her. "I guess this means I win."

Or maybe not?

Without meeting his eyes, she nodded once. "Yep. You sure do Vegeta. Congratulations." And she grabbed her purse, jumped into her Capsule car, and sped off to the store to buy things for the Saiyan Prince. She didn't let the tears fall, even though Vegeta wasn't here to witness them this time. She couldn't cry because she had to convince _herself_, more than anyone else, that she didn't care about Vegeta at all.

* * *

Poor Bulma. Even though it would be funny to watch Vegeta lose an arm-wrestle, I ended it this way so we could get a little time out of the way. So Bulma and Vegeta can hop on the baby making train.

Even though some people want some angst and raw emotion in this story... it's in the humor category. Seriously. Dragonball Z wasn't sad all the time, and so even though I'll throw some of that in there once in a while, I don't want anyone to cry reading this. It's just for some light entertainment.

I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! Holy crap! Please review; it'll make my day. I'm sick at home right now, so it'll make me feel better :)


	6. Stay For Me

Um, no big, or anything. But I wrote out an extra-long chapter and (I use online documents) my computer went out of range without me noticing. I pressed save, it said my internet wasn't working, I clicked 'Back'.... the entire chapter was GONE. So, sorry for the delay.

Disclaimer: Even though I worked really hard, and even kept Vegeta for most of this chapter... not mine.

I'm sorry if Vegeta seems a little out of character in this chapter. Obviously he had to have acted different when he was alone with Bulma than he did in the rest of the series, so I tried to do it to the best of my ability. The story has to progress, though. Please enjoy.

* * *

Bulma picked up lots of things at the capsule store - food, a luxurious bed, a bigger fridge. She also picked up some coffee beans, because her father had finally gotten around to installing the cappuccino maker in the gravity room. She didn't even know if Vegeta drank cappuccinos. Probably not. But she was going all out, just to prove how much she didn't care what Vegeta did; glancing around quickly, she grabbed 3 more capsules of coffee beans and slammed them in the little basket she was carrying.

She added the necessities, like toilet paper (barf), and was about to leave when she saw an advertisement for a new capsule her and her father had just released.

Spaceship gas.

Compatible with all models.

Including the rare 36 p40 model. A.K.A- The Gravity Room.

Grabbing eight (though one would be more than enough for a year long trip), she threw it in her basket, and walked out of the store. Of course this caused all the alarms to go off, so she threw a wad of bills (that added up to wayyy more than her purchase would have come to) at the cashier just to avoid a fiasco and hopped in her car.

It didn't bother her. Not at all. Who cared if Vegeta was going to go train in space if he felt so inclined? He didn't have to win a stupid bet to be able to train without any distractions. That was all she was. A distraction.

Racing home, Bulma dumped her loot onto the couch and grabbed a wrench, a hammer, a screwdriver, a saw, some metal, a soldering iron, and a bunch of wires. She tossed it all into a giant bag and didn't even bother to put on the proper protective wear- she just stormed over to the GR, set a ladder up next to it, and started climbing to the top. Stupid Vegeta. She didn't care if he left. In fact, she _wanted_ him to.

"Woman, what are you doing?" She heard a deep voice call from beneath her.

"Upgrading. If you're going into space, I want you to be able to stay there as long as you want without worrying about the ship." She tore off a panel and started bashing out the old thrusters.

"Hmph. If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted me to leave." His shadow appeared suddenly, blocking the sun's rays.

"Apparently, you don't know as much as you think you do." She still didn't glance at him. "Move, please. I need the light."

"Why did you buy so many coffee beans?" He inquired.

Bulma blushed; luckily, her face was still turned downward. "Leave me alone! Don't you have somewhere more important to be?"

"I can't train while you make such a racket up here. My hunger is satisfied for the moment. Your mother is inside." He shuddered.

"Be nice to my mother! She's the only person in existence who actually likes you!"

He snorted. "That's not why I keep her around."

Bulma rolled her eyes, though the prince couldn't see. "Oh yeah. She makes your food."

"I've also recently discovered she gives one of the best foot massages I've ever experienced," Vegeta added.

"Right. How could I forget?"

She worked in silence for a while. She didn't even have any plans to work off of; she just went with what she knew. Before the silence became uncomfortable, she turned on her radio.

"Here's what's new in show business!" The wacky voice wailed. "First off, the thing that everyone's been discussing all day- heiress Bulma Briefs has a new man! Even though the genius usually keeps out of the tabloids, Steve is just to cute to keep a secret! I-"

Suddenly, the voice was cut off. Then Bulma smelt smoke. Looking up slowly, she saw ashes decorating the roof of the gravity room; as she glanced further, Bulma noticed her houseguest, hand outstretched.

"I'm tired of hearing about that stupid weakling! All everyone ever talks about now is a complete idiot who did nothing but use an equally stupid idiot to get fame! How is this interesting? I should kill that man!"

Bulma lifted an eyebrow slowly. "Calm down. It doesn't really matter."

"Why am I even saving this planet? Everything that comes out of the human's mouths are boring, unnecessary things. Like _Steve_."

"What did he shove up your butt? Honestly, you hate him more than anyone, except maybe Goku. Or Yamcha."

"Don't mention that name!"

"Which one? Yamcha?"

"Your taste in men is despicable! How could someone like _you_ end up with people like_ them?_"

"Was that... a compliment?'

"Of course not! I meant that they're... they're..."

"Vegeta... you're _jealous_, aren't you?" She squealed.

"Of course not! Have you utterly lost your mind?"

Bulma stood, unable to contain her laughter. "You're...so... jealous of him!"

"To be jealous, one usually needs to be envious of someone's possession. He has nothing I would ever desire."

"Oh... my god! That's... hilarious!" She squeaked out in between chuckles. "I should have known all along!"

"Shut up! You stupid woman, do you really believe he has-" Vegeta stopped abruptly. "You think... I want _you_?"

Bulma didn't stop her giggles. "I'm not sure. You tell me. You've been talking to me non-stop about how much you hate him since we started dating, even though you pretty much never talk to me. Today you've been finding excuses to watch TV or read magazines or whatever so you can complain even more about him."

"You turned on the radio!"

"You were hanging out with me for some reason! I was just fulfilling my side of the bet by fixing up the GR and leaving you alone. You could have gone to Goku's to train."

"He's a clown!"

"Vegeta's jealous!" She giggled, dancing around.

"Shut up! Shut up before I blast you!"

"Vegeta's jealous, Vegeta's jealous, Veget-AHHHHH!!!!!" Unfortunately, during her chant, she'd stepped a little too close to the edge of the machine, teetered, then fell.

"Help!" She shrieked, not laughing anymore. Seeing the ground approaching her, she shut her eyes. She never thought about how tall the gravity room was until now. It was so high up...

Vegeta stood on top of the GR, rolling his eyes. She probably expected him to catch her, or something. Stupid human. He groaned, knowing if she fell and wounded herself (or, being frail as she was, died,) Kakarott would never want to spar with him again. Which meant he wouldn't be able to eat any of his mate's food while he was over there.

No!

Phasing to the ground quickly, he caught Bulma in his arms. It took her a moment to get her bearings.

"V-Vegeta?!" She stammered, burrowing further into her savior's chest. His heart thumped under her ear, playing a rhythmic beat that calmed her in a strange way.

"Yes, you idiot!" He bellowed. Ahem. Cut almost-sentimental moment. "Did you honestly just jump off the gravity room?" He demanded, placing (dropping) her on the ground.

"I_ fell_," she informed him, standing back up.

He smirked. "Right. Of course you didn't just want to have a reason to be enveloped in my arms."

"I didn't!" She insisted, placing her hands on her hips. Annoying, cocky prince. "I would almost rather have hit the _ground_ than have been caught by you."

"I'll bet. It must be terrible to have all your bones intact and your skin free of scars."

"I'd rather have a flesh wound than have your hands touch me," she spat.

"Really? Shall I throw you in the air and let you fall, then?" He challenged. "I'll do it."

"Nevermind. I was about to thank you, but what's the point? You'll come up with some asshole excuse for why you did it, and try to act like you don't care what happens to anyone except yourself."

"I _don't_ care about anyone except myself," he said in a tone of voice that suggested she was even stupider than he originally thought.

"Sure you don't. You just _saved_ me, but no big deal or anything."

He grinned. "Exactly."

Her eyebrows pulled together. "I know you give a damn."

"I've told you before, Bulma, and I'll tell you again! Stop flattering yourself all of the time!" He growled.

"I'm not-"

"Continue fixing my ship, like you promised to do, and leave me alone!"

"If it weren't for you, it would probably be done by now!"

"You were the one that jumped off my gravity chamber."

"You were the one who was jealous of Steve!"

"I. Was. Not. Jealous," he repeated, "Of that_ idiot_!"

"_You're_ an idiot!" She screamed, stepping forward. "You try so hard to shut people out, and as soon as you start caring just a little bit about someone, you are mean and bitter towards them so you can try and reverse the feelings! Steve did _one thing_. Who cares? Everyone makes mistakes. I broke up with him for it. At least he was kind towards me! Treated me like his equal, or even higher than himself! Y-"

"Why should I treat you like my equal?" Vegeta interrupted. "I'm a prince of the strongest race in the universe. Creatures throughout the galaxy tremble at my name. You're an earthling, the _weakest_ species in the universe. We sent Kakarott to destroy this planet! A third class piece of scum! Does this not tell you a little bit of my opinion about this place?"

"Oh, put a cork in it. I know how strong you are and how weak we all are. This wasn't even about that. This was about you, and how you just can't admit that you don't completely hate everyone here."

"Hmph."

"My mother- you like her foot massages. Chi Chi- you're obsessed with her cooking. A little bit weirdly obsessed. My dad- he comes up with the best training programs you can imagine." She paused about a half a foot away from him. "Anyone else you'd like to add?"

He grumbled. "No one."

She blinked slowly, as if she didn't quite believe him. "No one?"

He thought for a moment. "The Namek doesn't try to talk to me. He doesn't bother me, I suppose."

Bulma's nostrils flared. "Don't even try that! I- You even told me you didn't mind my company."

"And yet again, we're talking about how much I _must_ like you."

"You sure act like it sometimes."

"Do I?"

"Yep."

Vegeta smirked. "Why do you think I'm leaving this planet, woman? I can't stand living with you. I couldn't force myself to stay if I tried."

"How about if_ I_ tried?" Bulma suggested.

Vegeta just laughed. "Well, you don't have much time. I'm leaving within the week. Good luck."

"Thanks. But I won't be needing it."

...Z...

Bulma checked the clock. 9:48 p.m. Vegeta was still training, as he would be nonstop when either he took off in his ship or Bulma convinced him to stay. _By this time next week, _Bulma told herself_, You'll know what his decision will be._

Flipping aimlessly through channels, she waited until the Saiyan came back inside. To be truthful, she had absolutely no plan at all for how to keep him on earth. She believed they were really becoming... well, _friends._ Sure, they got mad at each other. And yeah, he was a major (MAJOR) pain in the you-know-what. And he even-

Where was Bulma going with this?

Oh, right. Friends.

Even after all the torment he had put her through, she had a sinking feeling that Vegeta knew her better than anyone else- feeling wise, anyway. He knew when she was bullshitting someone or faking or lying. Bulma noticed she'd stopped channel surfing, and shook away all the thoughts of the man who'd been on her mind all day to settle down and watch TV. _Please_, Bulma begged, _Let it be something interesting enough to divert my attention for half an hour_.

The house went completely black.

Huh. Guess Kami heard her up there.

Rolling her eyes- after dealing with insane crazy monsters her whole life, it took a little more than the dark to freak her out- she guided herself along the walls to the electrical room. She had to find the emergency power generator.

"WO-MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh, just perfect.

"WOMAN!"

"There are two women in this house, Vegeta!" She called. "I don't know who you're referring to!"

"_Bulma_," the prince seethed, startling the techno-genius as the voice appeared right behind her, "Fix my gravity room NOW! I thought you just upgraded it!"

"I did. The power outage is not my doing- it's probably all over the city, if you haven't noticed. Not my fault everything's down."

"You don't have a backup plan?"

"Of course I do, idiot. Maybe if you didn't come up and attack me from behind I would be able to find the button on it." _I don't know why they make emergency generators so hard to turn on,_ Bulma thought. _If you need to use one, it's usually because there's no power and it's completely dark. Why the hell didn't I make it automatically start? There was a good reason when we installed it that I-_

"By all means, take your time," Vegeta urged. "I don't need to leave tonight, or anything."

"I don't even know where it is! Damn, where's that flashlight..."

"Blasted woman! Here!" Suddenly shadows started dancing on the walls all around her, and Bulma turned to see Vegeta holding a small energy ball in his palm, emitting enough light for her to see the electrical room.

Where she noticed there was definitely _no_ emergency generator in sight.

"So? Can you fix it?"

"Um... no."

"Why the hell not?" Vegeta asked.

"There's no emergency generator in here."

"Where is it?"

"How should I know? Why would I come all the way in here to turn it on if I had reason to believe it was somewhere else?" Bulma demanded, a little touchy.

Vegeta closed his hand, and with that, the small amount of light disappeared as if he'd blown out a candle. "What am I supposed to do, then?"

"I don't know. Turn your built-in light back on?" Bulma suggested.

"Why should I? _I _can see well enough in here."

"Newsflash! I don't have weird Spidey-, or in your case, Saiyan- senses that give me night vision." Even though her eyes had adjusted slightly, all Bulma could make out were some shelves, a vacuum, and the outline of Vegeta's hair.

"It's not night vision; it has more to do with sensing ki. There's no point in trying to explain it. What I'm trying to _say _is that you're not a good enough reason to waste my energy."

"Gee, thanks. Glad to know I... hey, where are you going?" She noticed that the wild flame of hair was getting smaller, which could only mean he was walking away.

"Perhaps I'll fly to Kakarott's house to spar. At least _he_isn't completely helpless when there's no light."

"Did you just take a jab at me?"

She could hear a slight smirk. "Humans are so underdeveloped. I almost feel sorry for you- almost."

"Hn. Chances are Goku's tucking Gohan in and getting ready for bed himself. They turn in pretty early over there."

"Blast! Well, what do you expect me to do now? I can't train. I can't leave. There's nothing to cook with."

"I don't know. We usually just light candles and talk, play cards, that kind of thing. Of course _you_ wouldn't be interested in any of that... would you?"

"Of course not!"

"C'mon," Bulma pleaded. "One game of cards. Then you can go do push ups outside, or something."

"No."

"Pleeeeeeaaaaseeee, Veggie?"

"Don't call me that," was his only response.

"Yay! I'll go get the candles, you grab the deck. It should be in the drawer next to the sink."

She heard a grumble, and his retreating form as he went to find the requested item. Bulma, after making her way upstairs, remembered that she'd burned all the candles down to the wick during her bath at the beginning of this story. Sighing, she turned around and began walking back down the long flight of stairs, the whole way trying not to fall down.

Ugh. You know when you're going up/down stairs and you think there's another one but there isn't so you slam your foot _really_ hard on the ground? *Waits for a moment while everyone remembers a time that happened* Well, Bulma didn't do that. Good thing. It hurts pretty bad.

"No candles. Sorry..." her sentence died down when she noticed that Vegeta was sitting very still at the dining room table. It was strange. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Shut up and teach me how to play."

"If you're gonna be a jerk about it, then I won't!"

She heard the prince heave a sigh. "Just show me the stupid game."

And so they played. According to Bulma's cellphone, they played for two hours straight. When she noticed this, she tried to remember where the time went; the pair didn't really discuss anything of high importance. They didn't argue. He even lit a ball of energy in his hand so she'd be able to see.

"Two cards," Bulma announced as she played her hand.

Vegeta put down three.

"You know, you're a quicker learner than I thought you'd be," Bulma noted as Vegeta showed off a Royal Flush. She collected the cards and shuffled. "Of course I'm still winning- nineteen hands to fifteen- but at least it's not a _total_ wipeout." What she _didn't_ point out was that Bulma had only won the first nineteen, and he'd won the last fifteen (and was gaining quickly.)

"This has nothing to do with skill. It's all luck."

"Hello, it's called _probability_, 'Geta. It's like... math and stuff. What the odds are of picking up a card that would work in your favour, depending on what was already put down and when."

Vegeta raised a dark brow. "You sure spend a lot of time on this. I just look at the deck so quickly you can't see and then-"

"You're_ cheating_?!" Bulma squeaked.

He looked up in surprise. "No..."

"Yes you are!" She accused. "You've been cheating this whole time!"

"Look, just because you're slow and can't keep up with my actions doesn't mean I'm playing unfairly."

"It's called cheating."

"No, it's not. It's called 'Humans are Idiots'."

"You're impossible!" She yelled.

"I don't understand your anger right now. You're going ballistic because you're losing."

"I'm only losing because you're cheating."

"Your old flame was the only one who cheats."

"Yamcha did _not_ cheat on me!" Bulma insisted.

"Then why did you end things with him?"

"None of your business," she retorted. "You're just trying to get on my last nerve."

Vegeta grinned. "Is it working?"

"Why do you care?"

He leaned back in the kitchen chair. "I think I like you better when you're angry."

She narrowed her cerulean eyes. "Then I won't give you the satisfaction," she informed him slowly through her teeth.

"You seem a little upset, woman!"

"Shut up!"

"What are you going to do about it? Beat me up?" He laughed.

Standing up quickly, she walked over and slapped him across the face. He smirked.

"Ouch. I could almost feel that."

She punched him.

"How about you actually try?"

She kicked him.

"Oh. You _were_ trying? I couldn't tell!"

"You're an ass!" She cried, hopping on his back. He kept laughing at her.

"Attacking me from behind? What will you do, pull my hair?" The chuckling continued.

"You're still made from flesh and blood, jerk!" She screamed, and dug her teeth into the back of his shoulder.

He froze. For a split second, the only sound in the room was their hearts beating.

"What the _hell_ did you just do?!" The prince finally demanded, throwing Bulma off of him.

She just blinked. "I... I'm- I don't know." It wasn't that hard. She used to bite Yamcha all the time, and not only did it not hurt him, he actually found it kind of hot! "I didn't know..." She took a few steps closer to him.

"Get away from me," Vegeta seethed, his eyes ice cold. "Don't you _ever_ come near me again."

Bulma stopped abruptly and placed a hand on her hip. "Would you relax? It's no big deal. You're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion."

"Do you honestly have no idea what you almost just did?"

"Uh..."

"You are an idiot!" He yelled, pointing a tanned finger in her face. "You almost just completely disgraced me, my heritage, and the royal blood that runs through my veins."

All this from a little nibble? Please. "You are having rage in a cage right now, Vegeta. It's not like anyone would ever know. You heal in like, ten seconds. A bite mark wouldn't stay for long."

"Is that what you really think!"

"It sure is."

"Then you're even more of an idiot than I accused you of."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Then by all means, do enlighten me, Vegeta. What is your deal?"

"Saiyans don't have a ceremony to celebrate mating, where they invite a hundred relatives and friends to join them," he explained. "Humans get divorced two weeks after they do that. That ritual- 'marriage'- means next to nothing."

"Hey, not everyone gets divorced!" Bulma defended.

He narrowed his eyes, but otherwise ignored her outburst. "Do you remember what I said about bonding?"

"Not really."

He shook his head. "Bonding is what happens between Saiyans sometimes. When they _need_ to mate, even though something may be holding them back from doing it voluntarily. Something inside them snaps. Neither knows what is going on; it's not anything physical. It occurs inside the mind, the heart. Their _souls_ bond together. Saiyans may mate for life, but a bond lasts through eternity."

"My Veggie, a romantic." She chided.

"There is nothing romantic about it at all! It's more than... than just _love_."

Bulma cocked her head to one side. "Whatever. I still don't have any idea how biting is included in this."

He growled. "Imaptient fool. Let me finish." He took a deep breath and ran a shaking hand through his dark hair. He must have been really scared she would break the skin. "Sometimes, bonding is forced."

Bulma blinked.

"When it is absoloutely necessary, usually involving politics, a permanent mark- a bite- is shared between them as a last resort. The mark doesn't just dissapear, or heal. It is embedded in the flesh until they perish, and even then, the scar is the last to turn to dust."

Her eyes widened to their limits. This could not be happening. "So you're saying... that if you bit me back, we'd be bonded- _forever_?!"

Vegeta looked down at her grimly. "Do you understand the seriousness of the situation now, woman? How you almost just completely humiliated me?"

"I'm sorry, " she whispered. "I understand."

"Hmph."

There was silence for a while; in the near darkness, the tension seemed even thicker.

"Did I scare you?" She murmured.

"Few things scare me in this world, Bulma," he told her. "But sometimes I think you scare me the most."

She gasped. "Why?"

"You're unpredictable. I can't kill you- for now, anyway. And-" He stopped short.

"What?" She breathed.

"You... The way you act sometimes, the things you say. It almost reminds me. Of home," he grumbled.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Both."

"What do you mean?"

"It depends on who you're talking about."

She shifted in her seat. "If you were looking at it through my perspective, then."

"I suppose it would be a bad thing."

Something caught in Bulma's throat. "And why is that?"

"Because it means I'm leaving sooner than I thought," he told her. "It means I'm leaving _now_." And without so much as a glance in her direction, he walked out the back door.

...Z...

Bulma sat on her balcony. Her view was amazing- she could see all of West City, the lights, the mountains in the distance. When she was a child, she would balance her tiny little foot on her windowsill and push herself up onto the roof. She smiled lightly as she remembered those days- before she knew Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, anyone. When the Dragonballs were nothing but something she'd read about in one of her father's books, a dream she wanted to make reality. She'd stare up at the stars, marveling at how completely beautiful they were, the pictures they painted in the sky.

But that was a long time ago. She was too old for that now.

Or... was she?

Looking around a few times, she slipped off her flip flops and tied her robe tighter around herself. There was no one up there, but she still didn't want to look like an idiot. Though her whole foot didn't fit on the windowsill anymore, she could still get her toes and the ball of her foot on there to give her leverage. Grasping the edge of the roof, she pulled herself as hard as she could- had she not worked out in that long?- but just about fell for the second time that day when she saw she wasn't alone up there.

Using the adrenaline from surprise as the strength to pull her up, she lifted her eyes to the dark silhouette of a small, muscled body with a wild flame of hair and slowly walked toward it.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Go away," he replied simply.

Bulma just kept walking closer, sitting next to him.

"When are you leaving?" She questioned.

"Soon," Vegeta answered. She noticed that he was closing his eyes. "Very soon."

Bulma considered this. "How long will you be gone for?"

"Long enough to become a Super Saiyan."

"And if you don't?"

"Then there will be no reason for me to return. The boy from the future was an ascended Saiyan and he couldn't beat the androids. How would I be able to?" His eyes opened then closed again in the darkness. They were filled with anger and sorrow. "I'll be no better than a measly human."

Bulma didn't speak for a second. "Why can't you train here?" She finally asked. "We can make the machine go up to 700x gravity now. That's _better_ than outer space. Plus we have home-cooked food and people to yell at every day."

"That's not an advantage. I would rather be alone."

"Is that the real reason you're leaving?"

He didn't say anything, which Bulma took as a yes.

"I can get everyone to stop disturbing you!" She reasoned. "I can make the gravity room sound proof."

He grunted.

"We can just stock the fridge full of food. We'll never force you to come inside. I won't-"

"_This_ is why I'm leaving!" Vegeta suddenly shouted, his eyes shooting open and his gruff voice echoing in the night air.

"Me... wanting to help you?" Bulma asked, confused. It didn't make sense.

"Just... you! Everything you do drives me_ insane_! You're annoying, rude, disrespectful. Then you go and act like I've treated you well during my stay here- like I'm worthy of someone caring about my fate. Why do you even want me to stay?"

"I- I don't know," she stuttered. She didn't. Why _was _she being so kind? He didn't deserve it. "I guess... I guess it's because I've gotten used to having you around. I thought maybe we were becoming frien-"

"Don't even say it," he commanded, slowly, in a voice that Bulma had never heard him use before. "Do _not_ say that word."

"Why are you so scared of yourself?" She demanded. "It's not like I'm asking you to marry me. I'm just asking you not to leave."

"I can't."

"_Please_," Bulma asked helplessly, her voice breaking.

"What for?" He asked, though it could have been a rhetorical question. Bulma answered anyway.

"For me. Stay for _me_." Her eyes closed, and she reached for one of the prince's hands. Noticing this, he stood up and backed away quickly.

"_No_," he shot back, in a much angrier and fiercer tone. "I will _not_ let you become a weakness to me. We won't ever- _ever-_ be anything more than a Saiyan Prince and the woman who houses him. You mean nothing. Do not forget that."

They may not have been much to each other, but his final words cut deep. Vegeta flew off into the night without noticing the single tear that slid down Bulma's face.

Which, she later decided, was probably for the best.

...Z...

* * *

Awww. And now he's really gone. For a while, anyway.

So, how long do you want him gone for? A chapter? Two? Or do you want him to appear in the next one? As always, review.

Press that button.

Right there.

Press it!


	7. Worst Idea Like, EVER

...Z...

The months ticked by, and Bulma all but forgot about Vegeta. The first week was a little hard- she missed him. She cried once. Then, gradually, he became nothing more than an errant thought once in a while. She hung out with Chi Chi and the Z gang. She punched Master Roshi in the face once in a while. She helped Gohan with his science homework. Her hair got fixed- she hated to see it go, but Jean-Claude insisted that most of it had been ruined by 'Zat Awwwrful Hayer Drezzer', so she was sporting a cute bob-type thing that was clipped to just below her chin. It suited her well enough, and it didn't get in her eyes while she worked on her inventions.

She didn't mind the fact that she would probably not get the family of her dreams anymore- Bulma was happy with the friends who had stuck by her since she was a young teenager, and although when she thought of Goku's wishes- 'Have a healthy baby!'-she felt a slight stab of pain in her chest, she accepted it. She didn't want to dwell on it. She went out, had fun, built amazing things with her father, tanned by the pool, and even planted a garden with her mother. The flowers were beautiful.

She was almost completely done with the man. She no longer got a lump in her throat when she saw the indentation of the GR on the lawn. When she came across the pink 'Bad Man' shirt shoved in a corner in the basement, all she did was giggle. But, unfortunately, it all came back full force one hot summer afternoon...

..Z..

It would probably be safe to say that Vegeta didn't think much of Bulma on his trip, either. For the initial first couple weeks, of course, adjusting was somewhat difficult. Vegeta didn't mind being alone. Acually, used to welcome the chance of being unaccompanied by anyone. However, after being surrounded by people- even if they were just stupid humans- for over a year, it was strange to be by himself, detached from any other life forms.

He didn't _miss_ Bulma, exactly. He didn't want her up in space with him. But for a while there at the beginning, he was scared he was thinking about her too much. Not in an angry, or romantic, or friendly way. Not really in a certain way at all, really. Just sometimes an image of her would creep its way into his brain, but only often enough to remind him that she was still on his mind.

So he trained. For months he trained harder than he ever had before, not thinking about anyone or anything other than pushing himself to the next level. And it wasn't enough. He never became a Super Saiyan. Vegeta considered just returning to his old ways, taking over planets. Looking for any other remaining Saiyans in the universe. Searching for stronger opponents.

He tried to convince himself that any or all of those ideas would satisfy him. He'd move far out into the deepest corners of space and tell them that _he_ was the strongest. Forget about Kakarott.

But it was Vegeta, so obviously he couldn't do that.

Fine. He would return. Reside with that stupid woman. Become a Super Saiyan there. It was his last resort, but his current mission was going nowhere fast- and if he wanted to defeat Kakarott, there wasn't any time to waste.

Sighing, he turned on the thrusters and punched in the coordinates of the planet he detested more than almost anything. The home to his greatest rival. The place he only ever wanted to see again so he could destroy it.

He looked out the windows once more, a final farewell. And off he went.

Back to Earth.


	8. Those Blasted Earthling Women!

I know, the last chapter was rushed. I'm not denying it. But it was just so BORING with Vegeta gone. Holy shit I almost fell asleep at the computer. I may rewrite it one day. I may just continue with the story and forget about it.

This chapter I like better. Last one I HATED but this one I'm happier with.

I don't know when you thought this story started, but it wasn't like, the day after Future Trunks popped up. Just to make it all clear. The last chapter went by fast, but Vegeta was gone for a few months. Remember that.

* * *

The ground shook, and the windows trembled. The trees swayed in the intense wind, but this was no storm. No, this was something worse. Much, much worse.

Bulma slowly stepped outside into the hot summer air, glancing up into the sky at the offending object. She masked her eyes from the glare of the sun with one hand while the other lay limp at her side. Her short hair whipped at her cheeks, eyes watering from the same wind that shook the foliage with such force.

The gravity room landed not thirty feet away from her, and the door slowly lowered, revealing a staircase that the individual inside the ship failed to use. Jumping high into the air and landing silently, the figure slowly turned towards her, crossed its arms, and delivered the trademark smirk that hadn't haunted her thoughts for months.

Bulma swallowed, anticipating the pain he was sure to deliver her once again. The past couple of months had been carefree (minus the whole androids coming to annihilate Earth thing), enjoyable, fun. But as she slowly took in the deep onyx eyes, the flame of dark hair, and the strange twinkle in his eye, she knew, right then and there, that life wouldn't go back to normal this time.

After all, Vegeta had returned.

...Z...

The Saiyan splashed cool water on his face, marveling internally at the great invention of plumbing. He could live with nothing but the bare necessities, of course, but nothing beats a long, hot shower, a real toilet, and a sink. Even _he_ had to admit that - if only to himself.

He turned to leave, either heading to the gravity room or the kitchen (he hadn't yet decided), when he noticed a faint, pale pink crescent-shaped scar on the top of his shoulder blade. Narrowing his eyes to focus on the mark, he tried to decipher what he had done recently to cause it. Wounds were never permanent, so it had to have been something that occurred after he'd returned to Earth.

Any scrapes, cuts, bruises... he couldn't remember. What had he

"NO!" He suddenly cried out, covering the mark with his hand. "This wasn't here while I was gone. It must be a mistake!"

"Vegeta?" He heard the woman call up the stairs. "You all right up there?"

"Shut up!" He yelled back, bottling up all the worse things he wanted to say.

"I heard you screaming..."

"Oh, your ears are weak and unreliable." His stomach growled. He would go bug the mother, but then he'd have to face Bulma, and he wasn't wearing a shirt... he didn't want her to notice the newest addition to his back. "Go fetch me food!"

"I am _not_ a dog!"

Vegeta tuned her out, studying the mark in the mirror closely. It wasn't that visible. Kakarott might notice it, or perhaps the Namek.

"Oh, I can _hear_ the smirk on your face! I'm gonna..."

Blah blah blah. The constant nagging was getting on his nerves. Even Kakarott's wife didn't- well, yeah, she did.

"I did not just compare her to a wife," Vegeta whispered to himself. Meh. He could smell a pie baking. Apple? Oh yeah. Definitely apple.

"And if you don't stop-"

"Okay, that's probably good!" Vegeta decided, cutting her off. "You've said way more than necessary, and I'm sure you've heard enough of your own voice by now."

"God, you're a prick!"

"And you're annoying."

"I was just checking to see if you were okay in there."

"Well, I'm fine!" He said, though the slight wavering in his voice wasn't convincing. "So you can return to whatever idiotic thing you were doing prior to this!"

"I will!"

"Thank god!"

She suddenly pounded on the door. "Prior to this, I was about to tell you not to leave dirty laundry on the floor of the gravity room."

He didn't answer.

"Vegeta?"

"_What?_" He snapped.

"Don't be so edgy. Just making sure you heard me."

"I did."

"So... will you pick it up?"

"Fine! Just go away already!" If he were to exit the lavatory, she would need to leave first. He couldn't chance her seeing the blemish- it would make him even more horrified, and the whole situation would probably end with him killing her.**_ (A/N- Pfft. Yeah, right.)_**

"No way! How will I know you'll actually do it?"

"Because when I say I'm going to do something, I do it." He informed her. "Unlike _someone_ in this blasted house..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bulma demanded.

"It means that when I win a bet where the winnings are you leaving me alone, I expect you to do so! Not force me to play infantile card games and attack me!"

She was quiet. Remembering, he supposed, the time she had dishonored him so greatly. "Oh. You mean the night you left? Why are you still pissy about that? It's done. Nothing happened." She racked her brain for something that could be making him upset, then busted out laughing. "Wait a sec. Are you _still_ angry about that stupid little bite-"

"SHUT UP!" He suddenly yelled, unlocking the door and throwing it open. The metal handle smashed against the wall from impact.

Bulma looked at him sharply, terror and anger filling her deep blue eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She cried. "If I had been standing two inches closer I'd probably be on the floor, covered in plaster!"

"Well, that would probably be a better look for you!" He yelled back, already storming down the stairs, grabbing the first shirt he saw. "An improvement, anyway. At least no one would have to see your face."

"Get back here, you jerk! You still have to pick up your dirty laundry!"

He whirled around after he stepped into the GR and stuck a finger in her face. "Do not order me around as if I were a child! You should be grateful I'm not telling _you_ what to do!"

She stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and shook her head sadly. "I thought that when you returned, you'd be different. In my head I pictured you coming home, glad to have a roof over your head and a warm bed to sleep in. But you're still the same old Vegeta, aren't you? I guess I really shouldn't have expected any different- you can't become a good guy all on your own."

"I will never be 'good'. I refuse to ever fight for anyone other than myself."

Bulma smiled. "I don't know. I see good in you, Vegeta, I really do. One day, you might even find someone here that you're always ready and willing to fight for."

Fury consumed him. Normally, it wouldn't, but he could almost feel the scar on his back laughing at him and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"You will never _'see'_ who I am!" The prince roared. "I will always be filled with evil and hate- especially for this wretched planet. I'll admit, I don't know my fate, but I can promise you this one thing, woman- I will never find anyone that I care for more than myself."

"Then why did you come back, idiot?" Bulma demanded, stepping closer to him. "Why are you pushing yourself to your limits and beyond, _hurting _yourself to become stronger? And the only thing you'll get out of it is risking your hide to save this 'wretched' planet!"

"Because I need to keep Kakarott alive, so that I can kill him," he explained.

"As long as he dies, who cares how it's done? That doesn't make sense."

"No, it wouldn't make sense to someone like _you_," he spat. "No pride, no honor, no dignity. You just don't understand."

"I know what honor and dignity is. But pride is just a fancy way of saying that you care wayyyy too much about what other people think of you."

Vegeta started yelling about one thing or another, and Bulma just stared on, bored. Finally, she spoke up. "Don't mean to burst your bubble, Veggie, but it's hard to take you seriously right now."

"You disrespect the prince of all Saiyans?!"

"No. You're wearing a pink shirt that says 'Badman' on the back. Sorry if I'm not exactly quivering in my boots."

Vegeta yelled and ripped the shirt off, forgetting in the heat of the moment why he had put it on in the first place...

"Why were you even wearing that?"

Vegeta's cheeks went a few shades darker. "No reason," he grumbled.

Bulma giggled, picking it up and dangling it in front of them. "You know, pink really _is_ your colour."

"Be quiet!" He bellowed, rushing off quickly (and awkwardly, for a reason Bulma didn't yet know) to the kitchen to grab some food. Smiling, she spun on her heel and collected the laundry that still polluted the floor.

_I guess he doesn't _always_ keep his promises..._

...Z...

The Prince of Saiyans was wearing makeup. Who'd have though it'd ever come to that?

Okay, so it wasn't on his face. And it wasn't lipstick or mascara or anything. But he had found concealer in one of the bathroom drawers, and decided he needed to do something about the mark that was becoming more and more prominent.

What used to be faint pink was now becoming a pale coral colour, and it had only been a few days- he was doing everything in his power to avoid the woman, like flying around for hours on end and even missing _meals!_ Thinking about her made it worse, and even though he only was thinking about what a complete idiotic, mindless, stupid fool she was, Bulma was on his mind all the same.

It made him sick.

He was sleeping more, hoping she would at least have the decency to leave him alone in his dreams. He was wrong. She haunted him, humiliating him even in his unconscious state. He had had enough.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted one day after bursting into Bulma's bedroom unannounced. "Leave. Me. ALONE!"

"Vegeta, I have barely spoken a word to you in almost a week." She raised her eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

"No. I'm losing my mind. You're making me lose my mind!"

Bulma snickered. "I'll say." She spun around in her office chair. "Well? Wanna chat about it?"

"How can you speak of what _you've_ done with such... nonchalance?"

The genius pretended to think for a minute. "Hm. I think a big part of it is that I have no idea what it is '_I've_ done'.

His nostrils flared, and he spun on his heel to expose a faint scar grazing his upper shoulder. Bulma didn't notice until he pointed to what he was trying to show her.

"It looks kinda like those forms you fill out that say 'Cut on the dotted line.' Except curved. It sure it funny looking, though. Where did you get that one?"

"Where do you think?" He snarled.

She leaned back, thinking...

"Oh, my god..." she whispered. "Did..."

"Did you deface my unscathed body with your disgusting human bite? Yes."

"I was going to ask if you went through my makeup bag. My cover up is missing and it kinda looks like you used some on your-"

"Quiet! The point now is that you, vile creature that you are, decided to mock me. And look at the result!" He stared down at her in disdain. "I hope you're happy with yourself."

"B-but Vegeta," Bulma stammered, "I barely bit down..."

"Well then please explain, woman, how there is a scar on the back of my _neck_, of all places!"

"Well, I don't know!" Bulma exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I know I disgraced you and you're a royal Saiyan prince and I'm a scrawny earthling and whatever. But I also know that if you don't bite me back, then we're fine. And you make a point of avoiding physical contact between us, so I doubt we'll have a problem."

Vegeta was about to argue back when he realized that she had a point. When would there ever be a situation where he decided to give her a chomp on the good ol' jugular? The only situations that popped into his head were very violent and probably wouldn't fit in a T rated fic.

"So we're good? You'll stop going crazy?"

Vegeta gave a curt not, turned and walked back to his room. He wasn't crazy. He just... er... was just being cautious. Sure. That's it.

How convincing.

...Z...

"Vegeta?" Bulma said during breakfast the next morning. "Do you know what today is?"

"I don't care..."

"It has officially been a year since you moved in."

"Okay."

"That's a big deal!"

"Not really."

"Yes it is. You're an idiot."

"I haven't been here for a year," Vegeta pointed out.

"No," Bulma allowed, "You haven't. You've been gone for lots of it, I guess. But it's been a whole year since that kid from the future swung by and told us we were all gonna be obliterated!"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, silly," Bulma explained, "In fifty years you're going to wonder where your life went and why you didn't keep track of the milestones."

"Like how many innocents I've killed?"

She bit her lip. Why did he have to speak of such things? Just when she thought she was getting through to him... "Vegeta, can we please not bring this up right now?"

"Why?" He asked. "Are you pretending it didn't happen?"

"No, I just don't want to think about it."

"Well, that's not good. Let's put it into perspective, shall we?"

"Vegeta, I'd really rather not. I'm trying to celebrate that you've been here for a whole twelve months."

"You invited a murderer into your home. I've killed your friends and your boyfriend before. I tried to kill Kakarott, and his annoying young son. I destroyed homes, cities, colonies, planets. Men, women, children. Just for the hell of it!" He stood up, walked towards her seat, and leaned towards her. "Now, look at me. Look at me and tell me that you still want to celebrate me staying with you for this long!"

"I... I..." her voice cracked. Why would he bring something like that up? On today, of all days? "I can't talk to you when you're like this."

"Like what?"

"I know the real you, Vegeta! I know you're capable of being more than just a soulless monster. I know you have a heart." In his proximity, she was able to reach her palm out and place a hand over his chest, feeling the steady beat underneath. "I can feel it."

"Of course I have a heart!" He seethed, pulling quickly away from her. "I need to stay alive, don't I? But that's its only purpose. To keep my blood pumping. Emotions are what make warriors weak."

"Then why has Goku defeated you, again and again? We've talked about this before, Vegeta, but humor me on this one."

"I tried your way, and I was humiliated."

"I wasn't talking about romantic emotions. It can just be friendly ones. I've been trying to do that, but you push me away." She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you refuse to get close to me? Everyone needs someone they can be comfortable around."

"I don't want… to be close to you." Vegeta was feeling uncomfortable.

"Don't you?"

"No, I really don't. After the androids are defeated, I will return to my previous lifestyle."

"Just because your life wasn't storybook-worthy doesn't mean you have to hurt others just like you were." She smiled, collected their dishes, and dumped them in the sink. "Of course I'm not surprised you don't know better, but can't you just try? Try to smile at least once a day. Laughter really is the best medicine for everything. And by smiling I don't mean smirking and by laughing I don't mean that evil maniacal sound you make when you've defeated someone."

"Laughter is annoying. I want to blast children who walk down the street and giggle like the imbeciles they are."

"Fine. Don't laugh. It would probably be weird, now that I think about it." She chuckled at the picture in her head. "But I was serious before. You decided to train and save the Earth from monsters exactly a year ago. For that long, it's been your goal. You don't have to be the Dark Prince, you know. You aren't being controlled anymore- you say you don't know your fate, but now you have the power to choose it."

"I know that!" He said. "Freiza was killed by that… child. I saw it with my own two eyes. I realize I am no longer a slave."

"Then why-"

"I do not wish to become your slave, either! Yours, or anyone else's!" He yelled. "I don't want to give up my own wants and desires just to make others happy. What kind of a life is that?"

"It's everyone's life. Well, most people's. I may be selfish sometimes, but if one of my friends needs the dragon radar, I'll let them borrow it. If they have a broken electronical device, I'll take a look at it. If you want the gravity room fixed by morning, I'll give up what I want to do to fix it for you."

"That's only to be expected. I am a prince, after all."

"And as soon as you can get past that…" She wiped off the table and turned to walk upstairs. "I think we'll be making some progress."

"I don't want to make progress!"

"I've still got two years with you, buddy boy. And if you think that after coming this far I'm just going to throw it all away, I've got more work to do on you than I thought."

"You haven't come far at all! I'm exactly the same!"

He heard a light snicker coming from the next floor. "Yeah, okay, Vegeta! You keep on thinking that!"

Vegeta slumped in his chair. "Earthling women," he grumbled.

* * *

So, you like? Don't like? Didn't really care? I liked it a little more. I have other favourites, but I'm okay with the outcome of this one. I need ideas for future chapters, so please suggest something you'd like to see! I'm sure I'd incorporate it somehow, and of course give you credit for it. Thanks!


	9. Why?

**OMG!!! GUESS WHAT THE MOST HILARIOUS THING IN THE WORLD IS. I bet anything you just guessed was wrong, because...**

**Today found my older brother's fanfiction account. And then, because I'm a genius, hacked it. Turns out he likes SLASH stories, ANGSTY-ROMANCE, and... to my absolute disgust... **

**Lemons. I looked in his review history and he demanded _lemons_. From every single freaking story. He's gross. Like for real.**

**And the cherry on top... _THEY WERE ALL FOR TWILIGHT! AHAHAHAHAH! HE'S GOING OFF TO JOIN THE ARMY_****_ SOON, GUYS!_  
**

**Anyway, I showed my little brother and he laughed his complete ass off. Aw, poor buddy. **

**Disclaimer: Akira Toriyama owns all. I am but a lowly teenaged girl with a disgusting older brother. All I own is the stick you will read about in 5 seconds.  
**

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Stupid bite mark. Even when he tried to convince himself that there was no way he would return the 'favour', no matter what, it would not leave. He'd literally tried everything. Yelling more than usual, leaving for extended training trips, and yes, even pretending it wasn't there and hoping it would go away. Though it was hot out and he usually tried to wear short sleeved spandex, or nothing on top at all, **(A/N- *beats off Vegeta fangirls with the stick*)** he found that he was going for the high-necked brand now.

Yes. Even though Bulma had _already seen it. _That's the kind of guy Vegeta was. Bulma noticed his sudden extremely limited wardrobe swap, and obviously realized why- she wasn't called a genius for nothing, you know.

"What's with all the turtlenecks?" She asked with a chuckle.

He just glared at her. "Nothing."

"I'll bet!" She snickered again. "C'mon. Does the Prince of all Saiyans have a wittle tiny bite mark on him?"

This time, Vegeta took a deep breath and sat down across from her, placing his elbow on the table. He clenched his hand into a fist and rested his forehead on it. "It's getting worse, you stupid, disgusting woman."

"No it's not. Let me see," she requested, reaching for the shirt he wore, which was way too warm for summer.

"No!" He cried out, standing up so suddenly that the chair flew out from behind him. "You will never see that mark again, _ever_. I swear to you."

"I'm not going to make fun of you. I just want to examine it. Make sure it isn't getting infected. You know, the regular stuff."

He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Oh, believe me. It's not infected."

"You know, the way you explained it made it seem like you should be kinder to me now. But you've just gotten meaner."

He shook his head. "Well, I think it's common knowledge that I'll never be _kind_ to you. But you've disgraced me, marked me with something of yours, and are currently working on ways to turn me into a good guy. Why _shouldn't_ I be mean to you?"

Well, when he put it that way, it made it seem like she wasn't trying to do him favours all the time. Ass.

"I will make you nice!"

"No, you really won't."

"Just you wait and see, Vegeta! You won't know what hit you!"

...Z...

"Hey Veggie…"

"Don't call me that," Vegeta snapped. "And what is it now?"

It was the following week. Bulma had tried several different methods of unleashing the heart that she knew the prince had, including, but not limited to:

-Making him watch 'A Walk To Remember'

-Forcing him to sit through those SPCA commercials

-Signing him up for an internet dating website (_very_ bad idea, for future reference)

-Telling him she had swine flu

None of them worked for a number of reasons, a major one being that swine flu never even existed in the DBZ universe. But try as she might, she just couldn't get him to crack.

There had to be one weak point, but the only thing Vegeta seemed to care about was his title as Prince of all Saiyans. Unfortunately, he despised the only other Saiyans left. There were no remnants of his race, or even a planet to show they ever existed.

Suddenly, Bulma had a crazy idea. One of those, 'it's so crazy that it just might work' ideas. Then again, Goku was the only one that ever seemed to get away with those…

But she had to try. Which was why she had confronted him at breakfast to ask him something that was crucial to her entire plan.

"Quick question," she told him.

"Doesn't seem so quick to me."

"Watch the attitude!" She scolded. "Now, for my question: When was planet Vegeta destroyed?"

Vegeta froze mid-chew. He blinked once, then slowly turned to face the blue-haired genius standing in front of him.

"I didn't mean to offend you!" She said quickly. "I was just wondering, ya know… for, er, research…"

He swallowed, not breaking the deep and penetrating eye contact.

"Look, don't pretend you don't know."

His expression barely shifted. "I'm not."

She was a little taken aback by his blunt honesty. "Well… could you tell me, then?"

It seemed as though he was contemplating it as he sighed deeply and turned to lock his intense gaze on something, anything, any_where_ other than where Bulma stood. She noticed that his gloves suddenly became very interesting to him.

"How old is Kakarott?"

It took her a moment to remember. "He just turned twenty eight."

He glanced back up at her, no emotion showing on his face. "He was obviously sent off to Earth prior to the elimination of my planet, but it was within that general time frame."

Not wanting to twist the knife any further by pressing for more information, Bulma gathered all of her things and began the walk towards her lab. "Okay! Thanks, 'Geta! See you later!"

The prince just rested his head in the palm of his hand, wondering what insane and crazy experiment she'd get herself into this time.

But he stopped himself mid-thought, because really, who in their right mind would actually want to know?

...Z...

Bulma had been in her lab day and night for over a week, pouring over a project that her parents didn't know (and Vegeta pretended not to know) about.

Curious as to what was taking the genius so long, the Saiyan leaned into her lab while the door was slightly ajar one afternoon and allowed himself one quick peek.

Bulma was talking to herself. "…Which means Planet Vegeta was a little over 265,000,000,000,000 kilometers away, or almost 165,000,000,00,000 miles. So theoretically…" She trailed off as she noticed her houseguest standing at the entrance of the room. "Oh. Hey."

"You talk too much," he told her, pretending not to have heard her studies. "If you spent half so much time speaking and more time actually working, you just might get something done."

She narrowed her eyes. "It might also help me go quicker if annoying, nosy Saiyans didn't pop their heads in and tell me what to do."

"Fine. Suit yourself. But now I see why it takes you so long to fix the Gravity Room."

"I take a long time to fix the Gravity Room because I know you wouldn't thank me even if I got it done in five minutes, so why the effort?"

"Because I could kill you with a flick of my fingers if I was so inclined."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, here we go again! Vegeta's the strongest man in the universe 'cuz he can kill a helpless earthling girl! Ooooh! What a tough guy!"

"I should kill you _now_ for your insolence!"

"It's all talk with you, Vegeta! I know you'll never actually do anything."

That made him angry for some reason. The rage that he felt towards her had been bottled up since his last mini-freakout, and he was about ready to burst. The Saiyan man phased towards her, grabbed her and pinned her against the wall before Bulma could blink.

"Do not tempt me, woman," he breathed into her ear. Vegeta's long, gloved index finger trailed down the side of her face, over her soft jawbone, and danced along her neck until finally resting lightly her pulse. "Because I just… might…" he let go of her, letting her drop to the cold tile floor, "…slip."

He left as quickly and silently as he'd entered, and after he'd gone, Bulma sat back in her chair. The rest of the afternoon passed by in a daze, with Bulma wondering why she got shivers when he held her so close. Even if it _was_ while he was threatening to kill her.

Man. She was really screwed up.

…Z…

"What do you want for lunch, honey? Would you prefer turkey or ham sandwiches?" Bulma heard her mother call from outside her lab door. It was the following day, and Bunny was beginning to worry about her daughter.

"I don't care, mom. I'm busy," was her curt reply.

"Well, what would Vegeta want?"

"How am I supposed to know? It's not like we discuss cold cuts in our spare time." The scientist was dangerously close to figuring out the problem she'd been working on for over a week, and she didn't want any distractions. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"There's boiling water on the oven, sweetie! If I go and visit Vegeta, I might get carried away and stay too long!"

Bulma resisted the urge to throw up in her mouth. "That's disgusting."

"So will you go ask him for me?"

Bulma groaned, got out of her seat, walked out the back door of the house, and trudged over to the gravity room. The sight of it actually made her sick, if she was being completely honest with herself. Sure, it was one of her greatest inventions. And yes, she poured tons of time and effort into just keeping the stupid thing running. But maybe the fact that the GR was always in the back of her mind- was it working? Would it withstand 500x gravity? Were the new training droids able to deflect the prince's ki blasts?- could have been the reason she detested it with such passion.

She was about to open the door, knowing that the gravity automatically reset down to zero when that occurred and there was virtually no danger in doing so. But as she was about to type in the code, she paused, her long white fingers hovering over the keypad. Vegeta sure did spend a lot of his time in there, and Bulma found herself becoming slightly curious about what it was that he did all day while he was inside.

Stepping away from the door and walking instead towards the side of the machine, she considered stealing a glance inside the gravity chamber while it was actually on. She tried to tell herself she wasn't being a peeping tom/stalker as she hopped up on a step stool she found- after all, she _had_ installed windows on the thing. It wasn't like she was keeping it a secret. So, climbing up to get a better view, she peered into the humming contraption....

...and proceeded to drool all over the ground.

Okay, yes. She was over thirty years old, had seen many beautiful bodies in her lifetime, and probably shouldn't have reacted like a teenaged high school girl when she saw Vegeta training inside. She tried her best not to pay him any compliments, but holy _damn_ he looked good.

There were tiny drops of sweat streaming down his slick, olive-toned torso that dripped down from his wild flame of hair every time he shifted his body. He moved with such grace, each muscle, bone and tendon working with each other to faultlessly perform each attack. The look of concentration in Vegeta's eyes did not betray any signs of distraction- he was completely focused on the task at hand, showing total indifference to anything that didn't involve his training.

Bulma hadn't realized how entranced she was by the man inside the gravity chamber until she was suddenly brought back to reality by noticing an imperfection on the prince's otherwise (ugh, she hated herself for even thinking it) flawless body.

Right above his shoulder blade, nicking the bottom of his neck, was the scar she'd left him.

And it was worse.

It was prominent, easily seen even from her distance, and darker in colour. She would almost say it was crossing over into the red category. Uh-oh... Vegeta hadn't been joking when he said how bad it was.

She decided to tell her mother that he'd chosen both kinds of sandwiches to eat for lunch. She didn't want to disturb him. Not when she was still working so hard on something that would hopefully make him soften a little.

...Z...

Bulma ran a brush through her sleek blue hair, studied her reflection briefly in the mirror, and smiled. It was finally ready. After two weeks of careful calculations, thirty-seven pots of coffee, and even a few all-nighters, everything she had worked towards would finally pay off.

"This one had better work", she grumbled to herself.

The beautiful young heiress turned the intercom on and punched in the code that transferred her over to the GR.

"What?" A crabby voice asked crankily.

"Why, don't you sound especially chipper this evening!" She mocked.

"Shut up and tell me why you interrupted my training."

She shook her head and got to the point; she knew she wouldn't have his attention for long. "Can you come upstairs, please, to my balcony?"

"No."

"Why not?" She demanded, suddenly slipping into her trademark whiny voice.

Static could be heard.

"Damn it, Vegeta, you do _not_ hang up on me when I'm trying to speak to you!" Bulma muttered, repeating the code to the machine she'd punched in moments earlier.

"_What?!"_

"Come upstairs, asshole!" She screamed before he could disconnect again.

"Fine!" He yelled, exasperated. "You earthling women are so _demanding_!" And then the line was cut off once more.

She found herself actually becoming nervous as she put the telescope into focus. What would he think? What would he say? Would he be angry or happy? She chewed the inside of her cheek in anticipation until the prince appeared at the sliding glass door.

"Well?" Vegeta said while he walked out to join her. "What is it that you wanted?"

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. Why couldn't she speak? Bulma used to not be able to stop talking, and now she couldn't get a few lousy words out.

"Hurry up! I don't have all night, you know."

She just nodded. "Um, there was, um, a spider. I wanted you to kill it for me."

Vegeta regarded her as if she'd just asked him to ride the ferris wheel with Goku while holding hands. "Are you insane?"

"I just... hate spiders."

He rolled his eyes and let out a cry of exasperation. "Well? Where the hell is the stupid thing?"

"Where's what?"

"The spider! You dragged me from my training to come all the way up here. Tell me where it is so I can return."

Her face became hot. "It's- it ran away."

He looked at her, shook his head, and leaped off the balcony and flew the short distance towards the Gravity Room.

Bulma moaned and collapsed in her chair. What was wrong with her? Vegeta never even mattered to her before. He was just someone she wanted to befriend. Not that she wanted to be more than that now, but he was... appealing to her in a different way. A way she definitely wasn't comfortable with.

She leaned over her telescope and looked into it once more. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the brilliant, beautiful sight in the sky. Why didn't she want to show Vegeta? He had a right to know.

But she couldn't bring herself to make him aware of the seemingly ordinary point of light in the night sky. Bulma wanted to keep it to herself for now.

And so every night for a few weeks before she went to bed, she would sit out on her balcony and just stare at the star, way up high, and think. She didn't know why looking at something that made most people have feelings of sadness, anger and dispair brought her peace and serenity, but it did. And no one else had to know.

...Z...

Unless, of course, someone interrupted her and saw what she was doing.

"What are you looking at?" A deep voice asked from behind her, causing Bulma to jump in her seat.

"Uh, um, nothing. Just decided to take up astronomy," she lied quickly.

"Hmph."

"Why are you up here, anyway?" She asked. Vegeta didn't usually pay middle-of-the-night visits.

He didn't reply, only stood by the door and tried to stare the truth out of her.

Well, he seemed pretty calm. He wasn't yelling at her. Perhaps, she thought, now would be a good time to show him. A lump hadn't formed in her throat, and she didn't feel like he was in agressive-mode for the time being.

"Come here," she finally requested after a long silence, beckoning him over to the telescope. "Look."

He rolled his eyes and leaned over to check for himself. He stood there for a while, a look of impatience settling on his face. "What is the importance of this?" He finally demanded (though not sounding as frustrated as usual) after a few moments.

"You don't recognize it?" Bulma asked, surprised. "Strange..."

"Why would it be strange that I can't tell one star from another? They all look the same to me."

She leaned her head to the side. "You don't even know what your own planet looks like," she told him, grinning. "How sad."

Vegeta's dark eyes widened to their limits in wonder and possibility. "Planet Vegeta was destroyed!" He exclaimed. "That would be impossible!"

"It was destroyed, sure; but it was so far away that the light it emitted is just reaching Earth now," she explained while he stared at her with a look of disbelief. "Not _quite_ impossible."

He didn't say another word, but instead bent down once more to take a look through her telescope. They were quiet for a long time.

Finally, Vegeta stood straight up. His face didn't show any signs of gratitude, only curiosity.

"Why?"

"Why what?" She asked. There were so many questions about his home planet he probably wanted to know the answers to.

"Why did you take the time to research all of this and…" he seemed at a loss for words, and the tone he was using was now almost one of anger. "Why would you do something like this for me?"

"Um." Her brow furrowed at the unexpected inquiry. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to do something… nice. For you," the surprised genius stuttered. "Because, well, I was thinking that maybe you weren't so bad."

"But I _am_!" He growled. "I've told you time and time again that I'm not staying here because I think you earthlings are just so interesting. I'm not fighting the androids to save anyone here. I'm fighting them so I can kill Kakarott myself!"

"I don't believe that, Vegeta!" She cried out. "Maybe once, I might have. But not anymore!"

"Don't think I've changed."

"How can I not?"

He looked furious. "Fine. Tell me then, woman, what I've done that has so greatly changed your perspective on me."

Bulma tried to think back to a time he had shown any real emotion, and failed. He was just a different person now- there was no denying it. But she couldn't exactly put it into words.

"I'm not sure," she said at last.

"Exactly," he scoffed. "You're just trying to convince yourself of something that isn't true."

She sighed, knowing he was wrong but too tired to explain it.

He grinned in defeat. "So tell me again- why did you do this?"

"I did this because I... because I…" But she couldn't get the words out. Truth be told, she didn't really _know_ why she had put all the time and effort into doing something kind for Vegeta.

His features abruptly changed. Though angry and furious before, they now took on a look of actual amusement. "Because you what?" He teased.

"Because I think you deserve it?" She tried.

Vegeta didn't buy it, so he continued his mocking. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Er, no. Uhh…"

He smirked.

God, why was she feeling embarrassed and nervous and anxious all of a sudden? She was fine a few minutes ago. Stupid freaking Vegeta with his… his… stupid hair. "Really it's not like I like you or anything. I mean I like you but not _like you_ like you. You're just, you know… a guy. And not a nice guy. But I like you anyways, because, well, I'm not sure. But I think that we should probably just forget whole this ever happened and I'm looking like a total fool right now and I'm not exactly sure why I can't-"

"Bulma?"

She stopped short. "Yeah, Vegeta?"

"I wasn't kidding before when I said you talked too much."

And if you were to look up to the highest balcony of Capsule Corporation during an otherwise normal hot summer's night, with the planet that was once home to the fiercest warriors in the universe shining brightly over their heads, you just may have seen the proud Prince of all Saiyans lean in to kiss her.

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**Next chapter will be mostly Vegeta POV. It will be his thoughts throughout _this_ chapter. What parts did you want his perspective on during this chapter? Do you want other stuff too? Some of it may surprise you, but still, I don't want it to become too repetitive, so tell me what you think would be best!**


	10. Mind Your Manners

**I keep forgetting to mention that I wrote a oneshot a while ago. It's TrunksXPan (even though I dislike her with the passion of a thousand burning suns) but it's sorta funny, and has more 'lust' than love, if you get my drift. Go check it out!**

**Disclaimer: Wish I owned it. I would put Vegeta in situations where he would coincidentally have to rip all his clothes off every episode.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!**

****Important**: As promised, this is in Vegeta's POV. This starts off a few days_ after _last chapter, but it touches on his perspective during some of those scenes. Hopefully this way it won't get boring.  
**

**Slight language, nothing major. I'm sure my readers are mature enough :)  
**

* * *

He would compare it to being outside with birds chirping in the background.

He focused on other things- training and eating as much as possible, sleeping as little as possible- but she was always there... like the birds chirping. Sometimes he forgot, but if he was very quiet and got left alone with his thoughts, he noticed it. And it pissed him right off.

He was the Prince of all Saiyans! He shouldn't be bothered with unimportant matters like weak earthling servant women. But it was literally out of his control. If he had it his way, he wouldn't even have to stay at Capsule Corporation. Of course, the food, water, electricity, plumbing, and gravitron were way too good to pass up... besides, why should he leave just because of a stupid _girl?_

It didn't matter. He just had to completely divert his attention until the androids were defeated, he killed Kakarott, and he was able to leave. First method of distraction: food.

Usually he could smell something cooking when he passed through the Briefs' kitchen, but today when he sucked in a deep breath, it was all he could do not to completely cough up an entire lung. Possibly both.

Spinning around wildly to find the culprit, he noticed the woman facing a calendar on the wall, marking off the days or whatever it was humans did with those idiotic things. As he was about to yell, he noticed a tendril of gray smoke floating up from a small cylinder-shaped... thing, held casually between her fingers. The source.

"What the _hell_ is that?" Vegeta demanded, coming up from behind her. It startled her enough to drop the smoking object into her drink.

"Um... what the hell is what?"

"That stick you were just holding! The one that made me feel like I was breathing in death!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid!"

"I think you're going crazy, Veggie."

"Ugh! I can still smell it!"

"Words of a crazy man..."

She stood up, downed the rest of her glass- tomatoes and something else... something that smelled like alcohol, and proceeded to leave the room. They hadn't spoken for a few days, and he supposed that she didn't want to begin with argument. Well, he didn't want to have a scar from her bite mark on his neck, but life wasn't fair and people don't always get what they want. So she could go fuck herself.

She then spat her drink all over the place. She clutched at a towel, but Vegeta didn't bother to help her- it was her own problem. Instead, he heard her choke out something like "Ash... in drink... not good idea...", so he figured it was something she'd done to herself anyhow.

Coughing like there was no tomorrow, Bulma clutched the door frame for support and continued on her way. How disgusting.

"What was that called?" He asked, walking up behind her.

"A Bloody Mary. Want one?"

He shuddered. "If it is bad as it smells, then I think you've got some serious surprises to look forward to. Surely that-"

"Oh, you don't mean the drink. Yeah, it's called a cigarette. I didn't think I'd take it up again, but it relieves my stress level."

"Did you really need to do it inside? And why would you of all people be _stressed?_ You're one of the only ones that lives through the android attack!"

She was still coughing a little, but she managed to croak out something about it not having to do with them.

"Oh, how could I forget! You and your terribly stressful occupation. Working from home, extravagant dinner parties, more money than you could ever spend in one lifetime."

"Work doesn't stress me out either," she choked. "And I don't think my life is any of your business anyway."

He sighed, deciding that food, like most things, was more important than figuring out whatever it was that was bothering the woman. "Where is your mother?"

"Out with dad."

"Get her."

"Um, did you not hear me? She isn't home."

"She has a... a phone. A mobile phone."

"She's not gonna come home just to cook you something! Fend for yourself!" she screamed, then stormed out.

And she was the one who always insisted _he_ had anger issues. There was something wrong with her, he was certain.

Deciding to try and push his still growling belly aside, he meandered into a different area of the house.

Second method of distraction- showering. Some people thought long showers gave them too much time to think, but he couldn't agree less. The hot water always soothed his usually violent thoughts, sending him to a place where he could stop worrying for a while and just concentrate on how good the hot water felt rolling over his aching muscles.

While lathering his body with the extremely subtle scented soap (as requested by him, of course- '_Princes shouldn't smell of flowers!_'), he found himself subconsciously graze the bite mark he was actually becoming accustomed to having on his neck with his fingers. The scar was deeper than any other he had ever received, though the culprit was a thousand times weaker than any foe he had ever faced. Ha! Bulma, a _foe._ He couldn't believe he considered a measly human girl an actual enemy. The earth sure was doing crazy things to him.

Whenever he traced the scar, it was always very distinct, almost as if it was screaming at him. Today, however, the usually noticeable mark felt like it was healing up, smoothing over. The suddenly healthy skin alarmed the prince, and he hopped out of the shower to get a good look at his reflection.

He turned in the mirror, getting a better view of the scar. Was it his imagination, or was it really going away? Ever since... that night, he felt as though the bite had slowly been getting less and less obvious. He figured it was all in his head, but even he couldn't deny the fact that the bright red was now a soft, pale pink.

_That night_.

If he was being completely serious, he truthfully hadn't even been in control of his own body. Her hair had been blowing in the summer breeze, the hem of her nightgown floating upwards ever so slightly- just enough to tease him. Her words were softly spoken, and with each exhale her unique scent was blown in his direction, almost _intoxicating_... he couldn't even pay attention after a while to the one important thing in his life- his planet. It should have interested him more than how sweet a human woman's breath smelt that night. But he couldn't help himself.

And for a moment, through all that was happening in his life, he forgot about everything. About the androids, about becoming a Super Saiyan, about how disgusted he should have been for even _considering_ taking Bulma for himself.

And instead of fighting it, he finally gave in.

He had cupped the side of her face in his rough palm and stroked her delicate cheek with his thumb, brushing the loose strands of silky hair away. Her cerulean eyes drifted shut in anticipation, and he had realized she wanted it as much as he did...

Which is why, at the very moment he was about to press his lips to hers, he gathered every ounce of dignity and pride he could and hopped off the balcony to spend yet another night inside the gravity room.

Where he had been extremely grateful there was a shower.

Even though very little hot water had been used.

Vegeta wasn't sure why he had stopped himself as soon as it dawned on him how the woman felt- true feelings, not forced ones, like he had. The bite mark was healing, sure. But he couldn't help but wonder one thing- if his scar was now disappearing, why hadn't she vanished from his mind along with it?

...Z...

The next few weeks were extremely tense, awkward, and miserable for both Bulma and Vegeta. The pair never spoke to each other unless it was completely necessary. Conversations were short and to the point, and prolonged periods of time spent with one another always led to an argument.

The summer was winding down- it was still warm, but Bulma had switched to one piece swimsuits instead of bikinis and Vegeta wore t-shirts instead of wifebeaters. They had gotten into a routine, which involved them never being in the same room with each other if at all possible.

Vegeta's scar had completely disappeared. The woman was still always on his mind, but he figured it was because he was concentrating so hard on not thinking about her that he ended up thinking about nothing _but_ her. When he had the bite mark, it was bad. But since it had vanished, it had actually gotten worse.

Vegeta had destroyed the Gravity Room once again, though fortunately this time around he hadn't been too badly injured. _Unfortunately, _however, Dr. Briefs was out for the day and Vegeta wanted it fixed _now._

"Bulma! I demand you fix the gravity machine!"

"I will, asshole, but not for you. I just don't want a pile of scrap metal on my lawn."

"Whatever makes you feel better."

She had grabbed her toolbox, and requested that Vegeta hand her tools as needed. He reluctantly agreed only after she assured him the job would be done faster.

"Hammer."

He handed her the hammer.

"Wrench."

He handed her the wrench.

"Phillips screwdriver."

He handed her the flat head screwdriver.

Instead of simply handing it back and letting him know he'd made a mistake, the screwdriver thing happened to be the last straw on the donkey's back and Bulma went completely nuts.

"Are you retarded, or something?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "No," he growled, "I'm not. And you will never-"

"I bet you can't even guess how bad my day's been."

"No, and I don't care. So either continue fixing the GR or get someone who can."

"You are the most ungrateful piece of shit I've ever met in my life. I bend over backwards for you, and what do I get in return?"

"How about someone to protect your beloved planet from-"

"Shut up! I wasn't talking about that!"

"What else do you expect from me?"

That quieted her down for a moment. Only a moment though, of course, because it was Bulma we were talking about here and she didn't ever shut up. "I ate four pieces of devil's food cake today, you know. Four!!! I didn't even know what I was doing until I went down to eat another forkful and there was none left!"

"Uh..."

"And guess how many cigarettes I smoked today? Seventeen! I'm disgusting! I'm going to get really fat, then be diagnosed with lung cancer, then the androids will get me even though I'm supposed to live because I'm so slow because I'm fat and can't run because of my tar-covered lungs!"

"What are you..."

"Want to know how many pounds I've gained since the beginning of the week?"

"Not particu-"

"Five! That's right. At this rate, by the end of the year I'll be a blimp! A big, disgusting blimp that coughs and hacks and has mental breakdowns all the time!"

"That's-"

"And you know what else? You aren't helping me _at all_ through this! And it's your fault!"

"How in the world is it _my-_"

"If you hadn't tried to kiss me, maybe I wouldn't be going crazy and having to distract myself all the time! You're a selfish jerk that plays around with people's feelings and gets enjoyment out of it!"

Vegeta stared at her, letting her words sink in one by one. "You think... that _you're_ the one who's suffering?"

She looked appalled. "Of course I am! Who else would it be? Are you going around macking on other girls too?"

His expression didn't change. Was she serious? "You truly believe that I almost... did _that_ just for my own amusement?"

"What other reason is there?"

_Let me think, you idiot human. I can't get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try. I hate everything about you, from your ugly blue hair to your whiny, annoying voice. But the more I try to concentrate on anything other than you, it only gets worse. I believed that perhaps, if I gave in to what my honor and morals rejected but my body craved, it might have given me some peace. But now I realize that it has only gotten more unbearable. I would give this up in exchange for the scar in a heartbeat. Because in comparison, a bite mark isn't so terrible. But I can't even have that anymore. And it's not my fault. No, not at all. It's yours, you filthy wench.  
_

That's what Vegeta thought, anyway. Out loud, he said, "You have _no_ idea."

"Yeah, I've realized. Which is why I want you to tell me why the world you'd do something like that! _Again_!"

Again?

Ah, yes. He had tried to forget that certain incident. It had been the first time the woman had completely humiliated him. But come to think of it... "Why are you so upset this time around, anyway, woman?"

"Because I-" her voice faltered at the end. "Because I thought that maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

She shrugged, still looking a little vulnerable. How pathetic.

"Come now. Embarassed?" He rolled his eyes. "Maybe _what_?" He asked again.

Her nostrils flared. "That maybe you weren't just using me this time! Maybe you actually cared!"

He was flabbergasted. "About what? _You?_"

She shook her head angrily at the inflection of his words. Peh. Like she, of all people, had a right to be angry. "I should have known, though, shouldn't have I?"

He laughed, though laughing was the last thing he felt like doing. No, punching her lights out would have been more accurate. "You think too highly of yourself. As if I, the-"

"-Prince of all Saiyans would ever care about a weak earthling woman like me," she finished. "Right?"

He smirked. "It seems as through you're finally getting the hang of things around here."

"It seems you're just as much of a dick as always."

"I like to think of it as knowing my rank."

"What 'rank'? Your title doesn't mean anything anymore."

"Maybe you don't think so," he sneered. "But to anyone who has respect for their superiors..."

"I have respect for people that have power over me. Unfortunately for you, you are probably at the bottom of that list."

"Oh, please. As if you wouldn't do anything I asked of you. I'm sure we both know that."

"God, why did I ever offer to help you?" She shook her head. "No, a better question- why do I still want to?"

That was bizarre- the woman didn't usually admit to any feelings she had towards him other than hate and disgust. Neither did he, of course, but the key word was_ admit_- Bulma genuinely cared about Vegeta, while he actually... didn't.

He managed to continue the conversation as if nothing odd had occurred. "I have no idea. I never asked for your help."

"But it's not like you could manage without it."

He only smirked, because he knew she was technically wrong but didn't want to be challenged again. Bets with the woman were always a bad idea.

"You think I couldn't live without you?"As soon as he spoke the words, Vegeta's stomach flipped uncomfortably._ I couldn't live without you._ Of course he _could,_ but it sounded odd to say a phrase like that aloud. To Bulma, of all people!

"I know you couldn't."

"What are you going to do? Leave?"

"We both know I'll never do that. Chased out of my own home by someone like you? Fat chance!"

"Then just what are you getting at, woman? I don't have all day to listen to you babbling on."

She set the screwdriver down and faced her houseguest. "Look. I'm willing to help you, Vegeta. All I'm asking for is a little gratitude. Would it really be that difficult?"

He nodded.

"What are you talking about? It doesn't have to be much. Please's and thank you's are all I'm expecting. You don't even have to mean it. Just remembering to tell me will be enough."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's all?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind being able to walk freely throughout my house without having to worry about avoiding you."

"We don't have to talk, do we?"

"Well, we'll obviously speak to each other, but we don't have to chit chat or anything."

Vegeta grinned. "And that's it? You'll do anything I ask of you if I follow those rules?"

"Sure. Believe it or not, I actually do like my work. I don't mind fixing the Gravitron for you, as long as you're polite about it."

Excellent.

"Well then, woman. I want my gravity room finished by noon."

She raised her eyebrows. "What about the magic word?"

Magic word? What in the world.... oh. He muffled out a short, quiet 'please'.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over your giant ego."

He said it again.

"I still don't know what you're saying, Vegeta. You need to speak up."

"PLEASE FIX MY GRAVITY ROOM, WOMAN, BEFORE I GALLIC GUN YOUR ASS INTO THE NEXT DIMENSION!"

She shrugged, grabbed the Phillips screwdriver, and continued working. That would probably the closest she'd ever get.

...Z...

The prince couldn't get any sleep that night. Soft cries were being emitted from the woman's room, sometimes even screams. A bad dream, he figured. As if she knew _anything_ of bad dreams. Sometimes Vegeta didn't want to close his own eyes in fear of what he would witness that night.

Finally, well past midnight, the shrieks subsided and he was grateful for the peace and quiet.

Footsteps.

Quiet footsteps that could only belong to one woman were suddenly the sounds he could hear. A door creaking. Footsteps getting louder, louder, louder...

Three knocks.

"What?" He demanded, impatient and grouchy after being kept up for hours.

"Can I come in?"

He grunted, and she stepped inside.

"I had a nightmare."

"What the hell do you want _me_ to do about it?"

He saw that she was looking at her feet. "Could I... sleep in here?"

He was confused. Why would she choose to stay in his room, of all places, if she needed _comfort_? Well, if it would keep her silent... "I suppose. The floor's right there."

Then she said something that scared him more than any death threat he'd ever heard in his entire existence.

"No. I- I meant to ask if I can sleep... in there. In your bed. Would- would that be okay?"

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**Sorry for the disgustingly late update.  
**

**Reviews are nice :)**


	11. Nobody Gets Much Sleep

**A/N- **Short chapter, but what happens will make up for it... I hope!!

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"Of _course_ you cant!" Vegeta barked. "What the hell would you even ask that for?"

Let's backtrack.

Bulma had woken up in a cold sweat. Her dream... she hadn't had a nightmare in years. Actually, if she had dreamed the same thing a few years ago, it would have been a _good_ one.

How things do change.

It started off normal- well, as normal as dreams go, anyway- with her and her friends going on some adventure. But this time, Vegeta was there. Bulma and a few of the Z fighters were on a ship, somewhere in space... and Vegeta was there. With Freiza. Being beaten till near death- coughing up blood, struggling to hold onto consciousness.

Suddenly, they were on Namek. Vegeta had just lost his fight, and was letting his final tears fall before he took his last breath.

Vegeta bleeding.

Vegeta screaming- in pain, in frustration, in anger.

Vegeta, lying in the recovery room of her house after the GR collapsed on him.

Vegeta, being killed by the andoids, and not _one person_ giving a _damn _about it.

That was when she awoke. Reaching up to brush her hair back, she noticed her cheeks were wet. Had she actually been crying? Over Vegeta, of all people? It was strange- she felt grief for the prince. He never once experienced happiness, love, or joy in his entire existence. No one should die like that.

Without realizing what she was doing, she acted on something she almost felt was like instinct and walked toward his room. She didn't know why. It wasn't like he needed her. He didn't need anyone, and he made that fact clear every chance he got.

Still, she knocked on the door and went inside and before she knew what she was doing she was asking him if she could get in bed with him. Bulma hadn't even known she would ask that when she came in, but again, she was acting on that weird instinct feeling she had in her gut.

They just stared at each other for a while. Finally, Bulma spoke.

"I can't explain it, Vegeta. I just... feel like being with you. For now."

"Why would you ever feel that way?"

That stumped her. She did not know the answer. Why, when she was sad and scared and a few stray tears were still spilling down her cheeks would she want to sleep in _Vegeta's_ room? Logically, it was the last place she should have went for consolation. But at that moment, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"I... I need..." What _did_ she need? She didn't need Yamcha, to cure her sadness with humor and laughter. Or Steve, to treat her like she was a princess and tell her everything was okay. She didn't need her mom or dad or Goku or Chi Chi or Mater Roshi or Oolong. What the hell was the empty feeling in her stomach, the feeling that something was missing, that could only be cured by....

She walked forward, tears still falling from her eyes. Vegeta's own dark orbs were filled with darkness, despair. Why did such beautiful eyes have to be tinted with poison?

"I need you," she finally whispered, and he stood up so abruptly that Bulma stumbled a little.

He walked toward her and gripped her shoulders firmly. His expression wasn't confused, but rather intrigued and a little angry. "No, you don't. Why would you ever get the idea in your head that you need _me_?" It wasn't said at all in a gentle way; it was rough, uncertain, demanding.

"I don't know," she gasped out. "But I- my dream, it's-"

"Peh. Your dream." He rolled his eyes- how had he known? "What was so terrible about it anyway?"

"You." More tears fell. She hated crying. "You were dying. Over and over. I couldn't save you."

"So that's what this is?!" He boomed. "Pity? You feel bad for me so you want to give me a _pity fuck_?!"

"I don't even- I wasn't- ugh!" She screamed though her sobs. "Look, I know you'll never want anyone. You want to be by yourself forever. No friends, no family. Fine! I don't care if you give a shit about me or not. I care about _you!_ I don't know if it's that bite mark or the fact that I can't have you or that you're hurting inside and I want to help you, but-"

"I am not hurting inside! And if I was?" He scoffed. "I would never accept your help."

"Whatever. You don't need me, but now I know that I need you. I need your body, your mind, your soul. Everything. I don't know why. Just... please." There. She'd said it.

He was quiet for a moment.

"Vegeta, I don't want to _pity fuck_ you," she told him. "I just want to sleep."

"In... here? With me?"

"Yes," she whispered.

He seemed to be considering. "I still don't know why you want to sleep in my bed."

"_My_ bed," she reminded him. "You're a guest here."

"Do you ask all guests to share sleeping quarters with you?"

She bit her lip. "Just move over, Vegeta."

"You had better not sleep talk. Or move around. Or snore."

"Is that a yes?"

"If it will make you shut up for the rest of the night."

She climbed in, smiling a little when she noticed Vegeta didn't shuffle over to the very corner of the bed. He just closed his eyes, though his expression was still tense.

"Want to know something funny?"

"Not at all."

Bulma continued anyway. "No one in the world- not even _you_- are afraid of you dying during the android attack."

"I know that."

"_I'm_ afraid for you."

"I know that, too."

Bulma twirled her hair around her fingers. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you afraid?"

He was quiet for a long time, and Bulma actually thought he'd fallen asleep. It wasn't until she'd rolled over and closed her own eyes that he replied.

"I don't have anything to lose," he explained carefully. "I don't have anything to live for. People are afraid of dying because they're frightened of what happens in the afterlife. But I've seen hell; it's not that much worse than what I live through every day."

"This is hell?" Bulma asked, surprised. "Or are you talking about... before, when you lived with Freiza?"

Silence again. "I do not like remembering that time of my life. But that wasn't hell."

"Vegeta, you were sometimes not even fed properly and beaten and ridiculed!"

"I had somewhere to take out my anger, then. I could go to a planet and kill its inhabitants. I would see the look of pain, of fear in their eyes right before I killed them, the look that showed they _knew_ they were about to die. I knew I had never worn that expression and it made me... satisfied. Knowing that I could make others have a worse life than me."

"That's not true."

"I know that."

She turned on her side to face him, and tried to make out his face in the darkness. "You _know_ that?"

"Now."

"What made you realize your life would always be worse than theirs?"

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

Vegeta took a deep breath. "Well, after that, I ended up living with an evil harpy. She talked and talked and screamed all the time and I couldn't get away from all of her annoying jabbering. Actually, I-"

The rest of his sentence was muffled because Bulma had stuffed a pillow in his face. "Tell me the real story."

"That is the real story," he snarled.

They were quiet, and Bulma felt tears prick at her eyes for the second time that night. She made his life a living hell? He believed it really was worse than the place he'd gone to when he'd died on Namek?

She needed to know. She needed to ask him, straight out."Can I ask you a question, Vegeta?"

"If you don't cry. And if you actually shut up afterwards."

"Do you care about me? At all?"

"No."

"So if you found me lying in a pool of my own blood one day, all dismembered and mangled you'd just shrug and walk off?"

"That was quite the visual," he pointed out. "You're getting better at this. But to answer your question, yes. Probably. Either that or scream and cry and demand of Kami why he'd ever take you away from me."

"Really?"

"Hell no. Now go to sleep before I _make_ you sleep."

"You're such a dick."

"Thank you," he replied in that cocky tone of his.

Vegeta turned over, facing away from the scientist. His breaths grew slower, more even, and eventually the prince had fallen asleep. Bulma couldn't resist. How could she, when the one man who never showed weakness was laying there, open for anything. Of course, knowing him, he could probably sense everything going on around him even while he slept. Better test the waters...

Reaching out slowly, she placed the pads of her fingertips on the tip of his spine, tracing it ever so lightly down, lower, until she reached the edge of the sheets. He didn't stir. She then replaced her fingers with her entire palm and began running her hand over his hard, muscular shoulders, his back which was so perfect it had to have been carved from stone, and his arm, slung carelessly beside him.

Still no movement from Vegeta.

Bulma's eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and the dim street lamps from outside threw the shadows cast from each angle on his body into relief. She admired this too, briefly, before slipping her slim arm around his waist, between the small empty space between his strong arm and his body, and began to feel there as well. From a distance, she usually figured every fighter's body was the exact same, but oh _God_ was she ever wrong.

They may have looked similar, sure. But the difference between Yamcha's body and Vegeta's was almost depressing. How had the desert bandit actually satisfied her for her entire life when the living Adnois lying beside her was somewhere out there?

She moved her hand up, and dragged her fingernails gently back down again. Over and over she repeated this cycle, sometimes venturing up over his chest and sometimes lower than where the sheet laid at his belly button.

Bulma found herself curling closer towards Vegeta, pressing her cheek into his warm body, inhaling the scent that took over her senses and drove her wild, digging her nails into his flesh harder until finally she couldn't take it anymore and she had to-

"Why are you afraid of me dying?"

Bulma gasped loudly in surprise; her heart began beating a mile a minute and adrenaline coursed through her. Caught red handed. Now what was she supposed to do? Drag her arm out from under his? God, how would she ever be able to explain herself? And what was she supposed to say to answer his question?

"You told me you already knew," she eventually stammered out, barely able to form coherent sentences.

"I know that you are, but not _why_ you are."

She tried to get her explanation right in her head before she said it out loud. The prince had a way of twisting her words, and especially now, in her... predicament, she had to pick her reply carefully. "Um... It's sort of hard to explain," she started off, still blushing and trying to subtly snake her arm out before he noticed. "To be completely honest, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Well then. That came out _very_ wrong. Vegeta didn't say anything.

Bulma backtracked. "I don't mean that in the way that you're necessary for my survival, or anything... I could live without you. I just don't know what I'd do all day."

"You're trying to be funny?" He assumed.

Bulma smiled a little. "No, I'm serious. I would have no excitement! I would sit at my desk and do work for the rest of my life."

"So I'm nothing but entertainment for you?"

"I'm nothing but entertainment for _you_," She retorted. "You toy with my emotions like I'm your play thing."

"I don't do it on purpose. You're so weak that it's extremely easy to do."

"Are you saying that I'm too sensitive?"

"No. I'm saying that you can sure dish it out but you can't take it."

She considered this. "Dish it out..." she murmured. "You think I play around with your _'feewings'_?" She mocked.

"You wish you had that power! What I think is that you're vulnerable and stupid after your breakups and since I'm the closest guy around you try to get with me," he corrected. "That plan, by the way, isn't ever going to work," he added.

"Believe it or not, assface, my goal in life isn't you get you in bed with me."

"You sure act like it."

"Hah! Like when?"

"I could name several instances!"

"TRY ME!"

There was stirring from the floor above them; Bulma's screaming must have woken her parents.

"Great going, wench." Vegeta growled.

"Shut up," the genius snapped, whispering this time.

"I don't think I will," the prince said back.

"You are the biggest- most insufferable- UGH!"

Bulma didn't even care anymore. She ripped her arm out from around Vegeta's body, turned over, and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Vegeta demanded.

"Why the hell do you care?"

"Good point."

She stood up, but quickly felt... uncomfortable. Bulma was cold after removing herself from the Prince's warm bed; the heat he radiated was phenomenal and she felt a strange sense of safety around him. She knew it was irrational- a mindless, bloodthristy killer like Vegeta was the last person anyone should feel safe next to. However, she found it near impossible _not_ to feel that way when she could practically taste his incredible strength, the power of a royal prince, and the attitude of a true victor.

Of course the scientist couldn't say any of that out loud- Vegeta's ego might have burst if she fed it any more- so she slowly began to shuffle back in the direction of her own room.

She never completed her short trek back, however.

Many people may actually find it difficult to do that sort of thing when someone (especially a Saiyan!), grabs them unexpectedly, spins them around, and plants the most amazing, exciting, fiery, passionate kiss on their lips without any warning.

But hey, who knows? Maybe it could have just been Bulma that felt that way.

* * *


End file.
